The Caged
by Anubis Enfield
Summary: I was always fighting, always killing, always struggling, and then he came. He'd be just like the others. Empty promises to get me out only to leave. I wasn't going to be tricked, but then I saw him. Those green eyes in the crowd and suddenly, I couldn't do it any more. So I stopped and said, no more.
1. Chapter 1

**Doctor and an oppressed, clueless, alien used like a tool... Yet another character that I needed out of my mind, though very... cute, I guess? Character's cluelessness was fun to write.**

* * *

Noise. There were animals growling, footsteps approaching, whimpers echoing around the stone walls as I peered out from my arms with a low growl; orange eyes flashing dangerously as two people approached the metal cage I was trapped in.

"Now this one is our prized fighter!" The larger man grinned proudly, tapping the bars with the end of his whip. "She hasn't disappointed us yet!"

He laughed jovially, his large stomach bouncing on his waist as he headed for the stairs, but the second person didn't move and instead called out to him.

"Is it okay if I just look around for a bit? You know, get a look at the merchandise?"

"Sure, sure! Just don't get too close. I'm not going to be responsible if one of them decides to maul you." He laughed, opening the door upstairs and disappearing.

Surprisingly enough though, the man who stayed behind let out a growl of his own.

" _Despicable_."

I could feel the anger coming off him and made sure I was pressed up against the bars at the back corner of my cage as I narrowed my eyes at him. I knew better than to go around trusting every person who walked into this room and called the owner names. They were always the same. They came here to watch the fights like everyone else. They'd give empty promises to the other people and creatures in here. Telling them they'd buy them and get them out, and they'd get hopeful, let their guard down, and died the next round. I wasn't going to fall for it. Not even when those emerald green eyes sadly looked at me huddled in the back of my cage and the slim man in the bow-tie knelt down before me; placing a hand on the bars.

"I'll get you out of here. I _promise_."

I lifted my lips up in a snarl, growling at the man and surprising him as I spoke in the broken Argonian that I knew.

"Esma. Yhet lla esma. Oy'ure tno ffidreten." _**Same. They all same. You're not different.**_

I curled up tighter and buried my face in my arms once more, relishing in the silence and swallowing thickly after having not used my voice in years.

"I _lliw_ veas oyu." _**I**_ **will** _ **save you.**_

I peered an eye open to look at him once more, seeing the conviction in his gaze as my heart skipped at seeing that and hearing someone else speak Argonian after so long, but I quickly shoved the surprise back and closed my eye again; hoping to get some rest before the fight coming up. I would need it, after all, if I wanted to survive. Though I couldn't help but listen as this man let out a soft sigh and disappeared upstairs, a tiny part of me actually hoping that he'd be the one to finally keep a promise and get me out of here. My hope was shoved aside though, when there was a loud clatter against the bars of my cage and I growled as I was poked and prodded out of my position by men with cattle prods, forcing me out and into the open where they could loop catch poles around my neck to move me along safety. For them, anyway. The wires around my neck often caused bruising and even cut into me on occasion.

From there though, I was brought into another room where I was stripped out of my ratty white clothes and forced into some 'battle gear' as the owner liked to call it; flimsy metal arm guards placed on my new—but no less dirty—clothes along with a small dagger at my waist as my only weapon. It was my weapon of choice, sure, but preferably I'd rather just not have to fight at all. But life doesn't really work that way, does it? I knew better. Life had thrown me the short end of the stick time and time again, and I'd grown tired of fighting it and grew used to it. This was the norm for me now. Cages, fighting, losing my own language and personality bit by bit until I was nothing more than a beast in a cage who ate food out of small metal trays and was whipped into submission upon doing something wrong. This was me. This was who I was now, and nothing had changed that. Nothing was _going_ to change that. No matter what that man had promised.

And I stepped out into the small arena, wincing at the harsh orange glow of the suns up above us that I hadn't seen since the last round of fighting, as well as the numerous loud cheers than rang out; deafening me as the owner spoke in a loud booming voice.

"Our champion, who has yet to be defeated, is back for another round of ferocious fighting! Three new opponents who might very well end her reign! But! Who's to say? She might just hang on to her title! So let's get this show on the road and find out, shall we? Behold, her first opponent, a Karadax!"

I shifted my gaze across the way to see a walking shark-like creature, built for fighting and gnashing its teeth every so often. When its gaze locked on me though, all thoughts disappeared from my mind as it charged at me swiftly and I ducked and dodged its assaults. My first actual hit to the alien was a hard punch to the nose and, surprisingly enough, the alien let out a wail and backed off, shaking its head and clutching at it as though I'd stabbed him. Taking that as my chance, however, I easily incapacitated the alien and he was soon taken out; probably belonging to someone like the owner, except they _cared_ on whether he lived or died at the end of a match. Cheers rang out, but I caught sight of the owner and his bored expression and knew that things weren't going to be as easy as this one.

Sure enough, my next opponent was an Aggedor; a large, powerful creature much like an Earth bear except more heavily built with a boar's head and a large horn and tusks. The fight with it only grew worse though, because the beast was hungry and blind and I had no other choice than to kill the beast before it could do the same to me. During the fight, however, I was unable to prevent myself from getting a bit torn up and by the end of it, my right arm was bleeding heavily after the beast had slashed it with its claws. Cheers had rang out when I'd managed to stab the beast fatally, but I stared at the creature solemnly; hating what I'd had to do to it, but knowing that I had no other choice. Not in this life.

"Ster ni ceape." _**Rest in peace.**_ I muttered under my breath as the creature was removed from the arena and I turned away from it to face my next opponent; as detached from all of this as I could possibly make myself.

I was right in doing this, because the next round consisted of me fighting three strong cons from the prison nearby. This wouldn't be the first time I'd be fighting people like them. It had become a sort of tradition for the owner to make a deal with prison wardens in order to help them lower their numbers and get a good show out of it. But I knew what it came down to for them, making them twice as dangerous as the usual fighters. Because these men had nothing to lose and were probably told they'd get their lives back if they beat me. Of course, what they didn't know, was that that was how I lived my life every single day. And I wasn't about to give up now.

So I charged in, taking out the slowest of the group with a single stab to the kidney from behind and swinging around to try and take out the other, only for him to dodge and swing at me with his long sword. I ducked and sped closer, blood pumping in my ears and drowning out the roars of the audience. He had the advantage with his longer weapon, so as I charged in, I quickly changed directions and went for the other opponent who—though on the larger side—was the slower of the two, carrying a large club as his weapon of choice. He didn't expect it and I managed to cut him pretty deeply in the upper thigh; hoping I'd hit an artery or nerve that would slow him down even more. Surprisingly enough, it didn't and the man proved to be faster than I expected and swung his club around to slam into my stomach and send me flying back. I managed to twist myself to land on my feet, but had to take a minute to catch my breath. A minute I didn't have before the swordsman came running over.

I rushed past him, managing to nick him in the side with my blade before I took my chance and slide between the big guy's legs; digging my dagger into the artery on the inside of his right thigh and incapacitating him. With only one opponent left, I faced him and was finally able to catch my breath, when I felt eyes on me and I spotted someone sitting beside the owner; said man laughing in glee at the fight. The man I saw though wasn't laughing. His green eyes showed complete seriousness and disgust as to what was happening in front of him and my brows furrowed in confusion; having never before seen someone come to a fight and _not_ be enjoying it. Not only that, but I recognized those eyes. They were the same eyes that stared at me from outside my cage not hours before, promising to save me. And when those very same eyes locked onto mine once more, something caught in my chest, just before I spotted the glint of a sword heading my way.

My body moved automatically, dodging past the sword and ignoring the pain it cause upon nicking a part of my ear as I buried my dagger to the hilt in the man's stomach. The man collapsed beside me onto the ground, sliding off my blade and leaving me panting there as I shook in confusion as to this new feeling pumping through me. This sudden feeling that everything I was doing was sick and disgusting and just so… _wrong_ that I'd much rather die here and now than to continue on like this. Like an animal, when I was so much more than that. A feeling that I'd never known until I saw those eyes cut through me. The eyes of that serious man in the bow-tie who promised to save me.

I was startled out of these thoughts as a pained groan echoed from behind me and chants started coming up from the audience as I realized I _hadn't_ killed the swordsman in one hit like I'd hoped.

"Kill him! Kill him!" They chanted, their words lost on me as I stared down at the man and battled with these sudden feelings that conflicted one another in my stomach.

I almost did it though. I almost detached myself from feeling again and finished the man off, like I had many times before. But the man looked at me and for a split second, I saw those green eyes staring sadly at me, promising me again, and I dropped my dagger into the dirt in defiance; the audience starting to murmur as the owner spoke.

"What are you doing? Finish him!" He ordered, but I looked at the green-eyed man beside him briefly before turning back to him and shaking my head. "Do it! I order you!"

I didn't move and the owner stood up and pulled out a gun.

"If you won't do it, then I will." He snarled and I don't know what possessed me to do it, but I moved and stood in front of the man on the ground; coming between him and what would surely be his death.

The owner growled and cocked his weapon, only for the green-eyed man to say something to him and for him to grumble before waving the guards to come in and remove me, while he apologized to the audience and prepared a different fight to entertain them. Making me wonder what the green-eyed man had done and what was going to happen now.

* * *

I flinched again as the whip cracked along my spine, sending tendrils of pain through my back as I grit my teeth and the owner hit me again. This was my punishment, it seems, for disobeying an order from him. I had almost forgotten what it was like, having kept quiet and obedient for so long while in his ownership. Though a part of me felt pleased that I had acted out for the first time in years. Feeling elated at the sight of the owner's furious face as he was embarrassed in front of hundreds of people. Then again, maybe that was just the pain and adrenaline talking because I was sure that I had lost any sanity I had left if I thought that being beat was a good thing. Finally though, the owner stopped; huffing and puffing as he slumped and glared at my back, before he reached out and grabbed me by the hair and turned me around and slamming me into the wall behind me.

"You are _mine_. You understand me? _Mine_! And that means when I tell you to do something, you better damn well do it. Got it?!" He spat in my face as I just stared back at him blankly before he scoffed and threw me back into my cage.

He kicked the door shut with a loud rattle before ordering the guards that I was to get no food or water for the next three days as punishment, unless I was on the verge of death. Then he and the guards disappeared upstairs and I was left alone once more in my cage, in the dark, with nothing but the snarling noises of the other creatures in the room to keep me company. I pulled myself up from off the floor with a cringe of pain, moving back into my usual corner and curling up with my shoulder pressed up against the bars this time; keeping my aching back out in the open and having it face the front of the cage as I let out a soft, stuttering sigh. There wasn't much I could do now. I hadn't seen the green-eyed man since I was removed from the arena and what tiny sliver of hope he'd given me had dwindled down to a virtually non-existent speck as I drifted into a half-conscious sleep.

I couldn't tell you how long it had been before there was a noise that was different from the usual clattering creatures in the room or the occasional guard poking in and doing their rounds. It was gone in an instant though, and when I heard the door to the upstairs open, I assumed the guard had tripped over something and had made the noise, so I ignored it and started to drift off again. That is, until I heard a clattering near the bars of my cage and I let out a low growl as I peered an eye open and turned slightly to see who was bothering me. I couldn't help but be shocked though at the man who knelt there with a green penlight that buzzed as he pointed it at my cage door; quickly unlocking it.

"Come on. We don't have much time and…"

His eyes locked with mine then, before slowly drifting down to my exposed back and immediately softening as he slowly pulled the door open with a guilty look on his face.

"They… I'm so sorry. They did that to you, and I..." He looked down at my cage floor as I furrowed my brows at him, confused as to why he was so upset about my punishment for acting out.

I may not understand much of what people were saying around me, but I did understand he was upset about this, though I hadn't the slightest idea why. He shook himself out of his thoughts then and reached towards me, making me growl at him and halting the action. I was still cautious of him, as I rightfully should be. I'd had enough of people and aliens alike and this one man wasn't going to change that. He seemed to realize this, but continued to hold out his hand, looking determined.

"Please. Let me get you out of here." He shook his head, before repeating himself in Argonian. "Slepae. Tel em teg oyu tuo fo reeh."

I eyed him, hesitant, but slowly uncurled myself from my corner and moved towards him. I stopped, maybe a few inches away, feeling a bit trapped with him blocking the entrance to the cage, but he soon backed up and retreated a safe distance and I came out and stood upright outside; feeling strange at being able to without the catch poles and cattle prods. I jumped when there was a crash and pounding at the door upstairs and the green-eyed man suddenly grabbed my wrist and started pulling me to the only other door in the room.

"Whoops. Took too long. Off we go!"

I allowed him to pull me along, staring at his hand on my wrist in confusion at the action, before a thought drifted into mind.

"Reweh ginog?" _**Where going?**_

We rounded a corner, only to see guards coming and he turned us around to another corridor.

"Not that way!" He said, before answering me. "Siph." _**Ship.**_

I skidded to a halt, breath catching in my throat at the remembrance of the last ship I'd been on and how that trip went. Cramped cages, screeching animals, a churning stomach that gave no room to keep any food down and the noise of the engines that made my ears burn for days afterward. I hadn't noticed I'd stopped, nor pulled the man to a stop, until he squeezed my wrist to get my attention.

"L'il peke oyu faes. I somprie." _**I'll keep you safe. I promise.**_

He lightly tugged and I allowed him to pull me along once more, not knowing why I trusted this man so quickly. I remembered being called one of the "beasts of old" by a man interested in buying me once. He'd woven a tale about these beasts so fierce and dangerous that they could take down armies with one swipe of their tail and cause disasters with one beat of their massive wings. He said they had a weakness though, one he believed to be mine when he caught me staring at the chain hanging out of his pocket for his fob watch.

" _They have an eye for the shiny and mysterious. Jewels and precious metals. Items that captivate the eyes enough for them to let their guard down, even when they're up against the most dangerous of opponents."_

And I believed in that instant that he was right. And this man, tugging me along, was that mysterious, precious, shiny object. His emerald eyes captivating me in one look and making me do things that I hadn't done or felt in years. He was my weakness and a part of me was scared. Weaknesses weren't acceptable in my books. Weaknesses got you killed and I couldn't die. Not yet. So I picked up my pace, running almost alongside the green-eyed man up until he came to a sudden halt in front of a blue box of some kind.

It wasn't very big. Maybe big enough for two people inside, three if you squished together, and I tried to tug him to another corridor, but he remained firmly rooted to the spot as he pulled out a key and began unlocking the box. I was confused, unsure why one would need a key for this box and—a much better question—why he was stopping to unlock it when the guards rounded the corner down the hall and I made my tugging more urgent.

"Ah-ha!" He cheered upon opening the door, and he easily pulled me inside, despite me digging in my heels as a sense of claustrophobia overcame me at the thought of being trapped in a tiny box; much like the cage I'd finally escaped from.

But when we were in the box and the green-eyed man had closed the doors behind us, I suddenly didn't know what to think. The box was _much_ bigger on the inside, with a low humming of an engine echoing throughout the area I was in. The green-eyed man rushed up some steps and began twisting and pulling at levers and switches on a console around a large glowing green tube in the center of the room and panic finally settled in as I turned to bolt from the ship. Because that's what it was, I'd now realized. A ship. A ship that I was in and the green-eyed man was about to pilot somewhere to take me away. And as much as I didn't want to be back where I was, there was this overwhelming sense of fear steadily growing inside me at being trapped in a ship with someone I didn't know or trust, and about to be taken somewhere else entirely. Someplace I wouldn't know. Someplace that might not be much safer than where I had been.

So I scrambled back to the doors and tugged on the handles, but they were locked and wouldn't budge as the ship let out a groan and wheezing noise, only setting me more on edge. Then the ship began to shake and rock violently and I fell to my knees before grabbing onto a railing nearby and clinging to it for life as I curled up into a ball on the floor; shaking in fear. Not knowing what to do or what would happen next. The engines went quiet and the ground ceased its erratic movements, but I did not unlatch myself from the railing beside me, nor did I move; for that matter. It wasn't until the green-eyed man spoke that I was able to focus on anything other than the sounds of my rapidly beating heart in my ears.

"Perfect! Now that we're adrift in the Time Vortex, I can go ahead and take a look at your wounds and—" He stopped and I clenched my eyes shut, honestly wishing he'd kept going so I wouldn't have to listen to my shaky breathing telling me how weak I was acting, and how fearful I really was now that reality had caught up with me.

I heard his approaching footsteps and flinched when they stopped beside me and he knelt down to my level; feeling the burning of his eyes on me as I struggled not to open my eyes and look at him. He may have saved me from the hell I was in, but who was I to say he wouldn't take me to another?

"What's wrong?" He asked in fluent Argonian, not seeming to have the need to correct what language he was using this time, like he had before. "Was it my ship? I know the ride can be a bit rough and I might have thrown too much at you at once, but I honestly wasn't intending to frighten you."

I understood the gist of what he was asking me—my understanding of my own language being limited after so long of not hearing or speaking it—but I wasn't sure what to tell him. I certainly didn't want to go back, but I didn't like being here. Not behind lock and key. Bigger on the inside box or not.

"Prapted." _**Trapped**_ **.** I breathed out, knuckles white against the railing I was still clutching. "Elt out." _**Let out.**_

"Trapped? Oh! No! I'm not trapping you! Look!" He got up and I reluctantly opened my eyes upon feeling a chill.

My eyes widened though as I looked through the now opened doors, the dark expanse of space littered with stars and planets spread out before the two of us.

"See?" The man smiled, waving a hand out the door. "I just didn't want you to fall off into space. You're _free_. Like I promised."

I hesitantly stood up on shaky legs, letting the railing go and stepping towards the doors in fascination, going so far as to stick my head and shoulders out of the open doors as I hung onto the door frame, to make sure I wasn't imagining this. I was in space. _Actual_ space. In an instant! I'd never seen it before, having usually been packed in with the rest of the animals in the holding section of a ship when traveling from one arena to another on various planets, but this honestly took my breath away. Any and all fear went out the window and I very nearly took a step out the doors, if it weren't for the green-eyed man grabbing my elbow to stop me.

"I wouldn't do that. You'll be alright in here, but if you walk out there, I might just very well lose you."

I furrowed my brows, confused and he seemed to understand that and shut the doors as he pulled a hand through his moppy brown hair; rephrasing things.

"Ah, dangerous. Bad. You could fall."

I understood that and nodded, though I still felt rather uncomfortable in this ship of his when the doors were closed. It was like the room before being pushed out into the arena. No escape other than the one possibly leading to my death. The man though, seemed determined to keep my mind off of things however, and took my wrist in his hand again, tugging me along.

"Come. Let's heal those wounds."

He pulled me down a hall as I looked around, fascinated by everything we passed from the strange wooden doors to the metal circle things on the walls and the grating underneath our feet that soon gave way to smooth flooring. I'd only ever seen the inside of my cage and the gravel floor of the arena and surrounding rooms, so even that was interesting to me and I barely even noticed we'd entered another room until I lifted my gaze to find bright white walls and a covered table of some kind. The man pat the table, revealing it to be soft and covered with a cloth of some kind.

"Here. Sit."

I went over hesitantly, touching the material that was silky smooth under my fingers, tilting my head curiously as I took a little jump and sat on it like he'd wanted; surprised at how the material seemed to bounce a little when I did. I felt like a kid with a new toy and bounced a little more, before I felt eyes on me and I turned to see the green-eyed man looking at me with a strange look.

"Have you… never seen a bed before?"

I frowned, confused at the word that I didn't know. "Deb?" _**Bed?**_

His eyes softened, looking sad, before he smiled strangely and covered it up, pointing to the object I was sitting on.

"This is a bed. You sleep on it, usually."

I eyed the bed and bounced a little once more, before I watched the man move towards my back, making me stiffen.

"It's okay." He said softly, voice calm. "I'm helping. It'll hurt a little."

I stayed stock still, wincing when he pressed something lightly against my back that stung my wounds, but not once moving away. When I got hurt during fights, the guards would do something similar and I'd get hit and chained up if I moved while they worked, so I stayed where I was as this man did the same. He had me remove my shredded shirt and bandaged me up, before digging through a tiny room and pulling out a number of clothes; throwing them over his shoulder before bringing one to me with a smile.

"Here we go! I think this shade of blue would work." He smiled, passing me the shirt and I stared at it in confusion; not knowing what to do with it.

I suspected that he wanted me to wear it, but I honestly wasn't sure how. The guards usually dressed me and undressed me respectively, but when faced with this challenge, I didn't want to back down. Especially since I didn't know what this man wanted from me, so I'd best do what he said, if I didn't want to end up back where he'd brought me. So I attempted to pull the shirt on, like I saw the guards do, but I must have twisted it wrong and mistakened one of the four holes in the cloth, because I was soon stuck and struggling with said article, which was half on me and half bundled up on my shoulder. I frowned in frustration, but the man chuckled and pulled it off, before helping me put it on the right way and explaining how it worked. The largest hole was what I was supposed to put my body through, then the two smallest holes on the side were where my arms would go; with my head coming out the top.

"Seems I've got a lot to teach you, if you can't even put on a shirt right." He said, though he was smiling so I suspected that I wasn't in trouble for anything just yet.

I felt I should be embarrassed though. For what exactly, I wasn't sure. The man then hit himself in the face, startling me.

"Oh, I haven't even introduced myself yet! And I just went and kidnapped you." He sighed, before smiling again and holding out his hand to me. "I'm the Doctor."

I blinked, confused once more at his gesture and what he meant; yet another foreign word being thrown into the mix.

"Tordoc?" _**Doctor?**_

He nodded, pointing to himself. "Doctor. That's me. Who are you?"

He pointed to me then and I pointed at myself, earning a nod. But I honestly had no idea what he wanted me to say.

"Name." He said, smile faltering as he looked at me in worry. "You… _do_ have a name, don't you?"

"Enam? Wath si… enam?" _**Name?**_ _**What is… name?**_ I asked, genuinely curious.

"Oh dear." He muttered, messing up his hair again. "A-A… A name is… something you call yourself. Something that others call you. Like, I'm the Doctor."

He pointed to himself again and I pointed at him this time, understanding a part of what he was saying.

"Tordoc."

"Yup!" He nodded, before pointing at me. "And you?"

I pointed at myself, brows furrowed as I tried to think of what people called me. And they called me a number of things, so I tried to figure out which name I was called the most.

"M'i… sept." _**I'm… pest.**_ I concluded, looking proud that I'd found my name, but the Doctor looked devastated and I slowly frowned, stumped again as he shook his head.

"No. No, no. That's not… That's not a name. That is… That is a very _mean_ word. Bad word. We don't call people that." He said sternly, making me even more confused than I already was. "Okay. You, um, probably don't have a name or don't remember it, so… how about I give you one? Hm? How's that sound?"

"Vige enam?" _**Give name?**_

"Yup!" He smiled again. "I'll say a name and you decide if you like it or not, okay?"

I nodded, feeling a buzzing energy in me at receiving something from someone that wasn't food or the occasional scraps of clothing or weapons.

"How about… Tammy?"

I tried mouthing the foreign word, but shook my head, deeming it too difficult to pronounce.

"Alright, then what about Kate?"

I shook my head again, not caring for the sound of that name.

"Isabelle? Joan? Evangeline? Silvia? Tiffany? Alex? Danny? Avery? Ellis? Charlie? Robin? Riley? Jamie? Sam? Drew? Blake? Tanner? Chris?" He rattled off, before I stopped him, waving a finger at him and he raised a brow, backtracking. "Blake?"

I shook my head, waving him along.

"Chris?"

I shook my head again and he thought a second more before saying the next name.

"Tanner?"

I nodded, liking that one and he mouthed it a few times, before nodding with a smile.

"Alright then. Tanner it is!"

What happened next was strange. For me, anyway. I was filled with this buzzing feeling and a lightness that I didn't understand and my lips lifted up to reveal my teeth in a way that _wasn't_ a snarl. It felt strange. This feeling. I'd felt it before, I could tell, but it had been so long that feeling it again now was strange and the instant it happened, I quickly made it stop; bringing a hand to my rapidly beating heart in a panic as the Doctor stared at me in pleasant surprise, which only worried me more.

"Kisc? M'i kisc?" _**Sick? I'm sick?**_ I asked him, scared as to what this stirring in my stomach meant, but he just laughed.

"No! Gosh, no. You're not sick! That was happiness! You were happy! You smiled! A very nice smile at that. I was just surprised, that's all."

I furrowed my brows. Lost.

"Ont kisc? Wath si phapy? Milse ont dab?" _**Not sick? What is happy? Smile not bad?**_

He shook his head, taking my wrist and tugging me lightly from the bed; which I looked back at sadly, having liked the soft, bouncy object.

"Oh no. Happy is good! Smiling is good! You smile when you're happy. And happy is that funny feeling you get when something good happens. Like butterflies in your stomach." The Doctor explained, the two of us arriving in another strange room with smooth counters and odd machines humming away.

"Wath si ttuberlifes?" _**What is butterflies?**_ I asked, another foreign word coming up in his speech.

"They're these little creatures that fly. Flutter, if you will. Like… Ah! Like this!"

He reached over and picked up a piece of paper, folding it this way and that until it took shape into a winged creature, handing it to me as I hesitantly took it with a puzzled look; tugging lightly at the wings.

"A butterfly looks like that." He said, pointing at the paper as I turned it around and looked at it from all angles, before tossing it up in the air only for it to fall; making me frown.

"Ti on lyf." _**It no fly.**_

He chuckled, picking it up and handing it back to me. "That's because it's paper. I'll show you some butterflies later. For now, how about some food?"

At the word 'food', my stomach growled and I eagerly looked around for the metal tray I usually received with food on it; the Doctor chuckling again.

"Look, come here. Pick something that you like." He said, opening a machine that let out cold air and made me lean into it in curiosity as to where the chilly breeze was coming from.

"Reweh clod morf?" _**Where cold from?**_

Laughing still, the Doctor tugged me out of the machine and led me to a chair to sit on at a table.

"How about I just pick some things and if you like them, you can have them. If not, I'll put them back. That okay?"

I wasn't sure what to do, so I nodded and kicked my feet back and forth as they hung off the ground in the tall chair, which I realized now, was a chair like those at a bar. A stool, I think they called them. I decided then, that I liked stools. Something slid on the table towards me and I tilted my head curiously at the different varieties of food on the plates before me; most of which I'd never seen before. I glanced at the Doctor who smiled and pointed out each thing on the plate.

"That's macaroni and cheese with peas and carrots, fish and chips, roast chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, apple slices, grapes, bananas, green beans, broccoli, french bread, buttered toast, beans, jam, clam chowder, chicken noodle soup, a ham and turkey sandwich, and custard. Which I prefer on fish fingers."

I blinked at the array of food, desperately wanting to just devourer the whole lot of it, but I wasn't sure what I should do with the Doctor watching me and the numerous things I didn't even know if I might like.

"Anyway, I figured Earth food would be the best thing." The Doctor continued to rant on. "It's some of the easiest food in the universe to eat and acquire, and since you've probably never had some of it, I figured why not?" He then noticed me and waved a hand at the plates. "Go ahead. Eat."

I nodded and did so. Using my hands to pick up pieces of food to try before I'd go ahead and devour what I wanted. I liked most of the food, but—according to the Doctor—I seemed to have a problem with the color green. Any food of that color I seemed to naturally dislike, though carrots were also on the list of foods I didn't like. I felt bad at first though, and tried to eat everything even if I didn't like it, but the Doctor must have noticed and had begun to pull away food that he could tell I disliked; saying something along the lines of I didn't have to eat it if I didn't like it. It was… different, I had to say. I wasn't used to having choices in what I wanted to eat and how I wanted to eat them. The Doctor had made quite the expression when I'd dipped the bananas into the gravy and mashed potatoes. But then again, he was eating fish fingers and custard, so I wasn't alone in my strange choice of dipping foods. Surprisingly enough though, I hadn't managed to eat a whole lot of anything. Despite how hungry I'd felt, I'd only managed to try a bit of everything before I started to feel full and then I'd finished off about half of the macaroni and cheese and fish and chips; two of my favorites out of all the food. After that, I'd started to doze off at the table; head drooping only to snap up again when I came back to my senses. The Doctor though, got up and took my wrist once more, tugging me along the corridors of his ship until he found a room and opened it for me, gesturing to another bed; this one with a black cloth over it that was speckled with tiny white dots here and there, like stars.

He went over to a small room, much like the one he'd gotten my shirt from, and pulled out some different clothes. He helped me put them on, muttering something under his breath about having an 'Amy' do this next time, before pushing my shoulders down so I was lying on the bed and tucked under the 'covers'; as he called them. I curled into the covers and yawned, blinking tiredly and starting to fall asleep, before I saw the Doctor heading for the door and my heart suddenly leapt into my throat.

"Tordoc."

He stopped and turned towards me as I felt a tightness in my throat and a heat on my face, feeling childish at suddenly calling out to him and I buried my head under the covers as I heard him come back to the bed.

"Tanner? What is it?"

"Yast…" _**Stay…**_ I muttered, hearing him sigh and tensing; thinking that he was annoyed by me and would send me back because of my acting out.

"Yes, of course." He said instead, making me poke my eyes out from under the covers as he flicked on a small light beside the bed and pulled out a book from his pocket; round glasses now on his face as the lights dimmed with a hum from his ship. "I'll stay right here until you wake up, Tanner. Promise."

He ruffled the top of my head and I felt that strange 'happy' feeling again; though I didn't smile this time and just nodded, sinking into the covers once more as I fell asleep. Not knowing that my hand had come out from under the covers to hang onto the edge of the Doctor's tweed jacket to ensure he'd stay right where he was; beside me.


	2. Chapter 2

**I won't give away Tanner's species for a while, but she's not human. If you want a hint, check chapter one.**

* * *

I woke up in a panic. Everything was wrong. Everything looked different, smelled different, _sounded_ different and I was suddenly lost. I struggled to stand, legs tangled in a mass of cloth, before I ripped myself from it and bolted out the door; sweat rolling down the back of my neck as I ran through twists and turns in a desperate search for an escape. I felt trapped. My lungs were constricting themselves as it felt like I was going around in circles with every new corridor looking the same as the last. And I suddenly felt as though I was tricked. Like everything that I believed to have happened with the Doctor was a lie and I was actually his prisoner like before, or that none of it really happened and it was something the owner had done to punish me for acting out.

I kept running and running, even when it felt like I wasn't breathing at all in my panic induced haze, until I slammed into someone and was knocked back off my feet. They too were knocked down and I feared the worst; suspecting it to be the owner and that he'd punish me for trying to escape. So I curled up in a ball on the ground and covered my head, awaiting the lash of his whip or the kick of his boot only to hear the worried voice of the Doctor as he knelt in front of me.

"Hey, hey, hey. What's wrong? Tanner? I was only gone for a second. I needed to recalibrate the… Well, that doesn't matter. Tanner? It's alright, Tanner. It's okay. You're fine."

A hand lightly rested on my head and I stiffened, expecting to be grabbed by the hair and pulled to my feet, but instead the Doctor just slowly pat my head; trying to calm me down.

"Tanner, come on now. Deep breaths. In, out. In, out. You're fine. I promise. You're not going back there. Not ever. I promise. Come on. In, out."

I did what he said, trying to slow my rapid breathing as I quivered on the floor and relished in the soft patting of my head that he was doing; finally uncurling from myself to peer at him with frightened eyes. He just smiled gently though, not seeming to be bothered at all by my sudden panic attack.

"Better?"

I hesitantly nodded and he got up, lowering a hand and helping me up from off the ground too; being sure to keep a hold of me until my legs were steady underneath me before we started to walk back down the corridor I'd come from.

"Nightmare?" He asked and I hesitated again, but nodded.

I'd had a nightmare that he'd taken me back to that place with the owner and I'd been thrown into a fight unprepared as punishment for escaping; being ripped apart by a Krafayis without standing a chance as the Doctor and owner laughed and shared wine up above.

"Koto bakc. Ghotuf. Deid." _**Took back. Fought. Died.**_ I summarized and he turned to me so swiftly, I felt that fear coming back as he grabbed me by my shoulders and gazed into my eyes with his serious emerald ones.

"I will _never_ take you back there, Tanner. Not ever. What that man did to you… I won't ever let that happen again. Okay?"

I shakily nodded and, upon seeing how frightened I was, he let out a soft sigh and let me go, apologizing as we returned to my room and he showed me another small room with a toilet and another strange device. He turned some knobs on it and water came from the top, making me jump with the sudden hissing noise, before he turned to me.

"Tanner, I absolutely cannot help you with this, okay? I need you to wash yourself. There's soap here and shampoo here." He said, pointing to two bottles. "Shampoo goes in your hair, then you rinse it out. Use the soap on your body. When you're done, there's a towel to dry yourself off." He gestured to a fluffy grey piece of cloth hanging from a post. "And I'll leave some clothes by the door, okay? Let the Tardis—my ship—know you're done and she'll get me so I can rebandage your wounds. Understand?"

I nodded, getting the gist of what he was saying and he nodded back before leaving me on my own. I struggled slightly with removing my clothing and the bandages, but managed and climbed into the separated area with the warm water; feeling as though it was washing away all the tension and fear that I'd coiled up in my body. I just stood under the spray for a while, before grabbing the bottle that he said was soap and stepping out of the water to clean my body. I couldn't reach my back very well, so I left it be before rinsing and putting the bottle back and grabbing the 'shampoo' he'd mentioned. I put some in my hair, fascinated by the white bubbles it made, and went to wash it out as well. Some got in my eyes though and I hissed in pain as I rubbed at them in a vain attempt to get them to stop burning. Once I was sure the dreaded shampoo was all gone, I got out of the water and simply left it running; not knowing how to stop it and not wanting to somehow break it.

I dried myself as best I could with the towel, before curling up with it and opening the door to find my clothes there. I stared at them, determined, and managed to put the pants on right—the Doctor explaining the evening before that the tag goes in the back so I don't believe I put them on backwards. I then glared at the shirt, towel hanging over my shoulders and covering my chest as I went to try and put that on as well. I'd forgotten to let the ship know I was finished, but it seemed to have known anyway, because when I accidentally put my head into the arm hole of the shirt and had gotten stuck; that was when the Doctor returned.

"I really need to bring Amy on board." He muttered, making me question what this 'Amy' thing was and why he kept mentioning it, as he helped me pull my shirt on and then proceeded to rebandage my wounds.

"Wath si Amy?" _**What is Amy?**_ I questioned and he raised a brow, tugging my shirt back down over my stomach.

"Amy's not a what. Amy is a person. A human person." He explained fondly. "She's my companion. Her and her husband Rory. We go on trips together."

"Mocapinon?" _**Companion?**_ I said, mouthing the foreign word.

He nodded. "Yup. That's like… a friend!"

I pointed at myself. "Mocapinon?" _**Companion?**_

"Yes, you're my companion too." He smiled, tugging me up once he'd put these strange contraptions on my feet that he called 'shoes'. "Stop walking funny, hurry up!"

I frowned, not used to these 'shoes', but obediently picked up my pace to follow him to the console room, where he began twisting knobs and pressing buttons; being sure to have me securely hanging onto a railing before he sent the ship off somewhere. Upon landing, he grinned and pulled me away from my death grip on the railing, bounding towards the doors.

"Reweh?" _**Where?**_ I questioned, confused as he stopped by the doors.

"Earth. Planet Earth. I'm going to introduce you to the Ponds. That's Amy and Rory. Then the four of us can head on an adventure!"

I blinked. "Venadrute?" _**Adventure?**_

"Yes! It's like a trip to another planet, but fun and exciting! I can even show you those butterflies!"

I grew excited at the mention of butterflies, curiosity overwhelming me as he pulled open the doors and tugged me outside onto this Earth. I stared in amazement at the light blue sky with only one sun and puffy white clouds here and there. The Doctor paid no mind, simply pulling me along towards a house as I looked around in fascination at the plants and buildings; though he did stop to point something out.

"Ah, look, Tanner! Here's a butterfly!"

I immediately turned to see what he was pointing at and stared in utter amazement at the small fluttering creature on a colorful plant; its wings slowly moving up and down as it sat there. I reached out for it; wanting to touch it and see what it felt like, but it flew off and I frowned as the Doctor smiled.

"You can't move too fast or they'll fly off, Tanner. Now come on. We can look for more later."

I didn't want to leave, but he pulled me along anyway and I reluctantly followed him as he went up to a door and pushed a button; making a buzzing sound inside the house. There were approaching footsteps and I poked my head around the Doctor curiously; wondering what a companion looked like, when the door opened.

"Hello, Rory!" The Doctor said happily. "I rang the bell, just like you said. And look!" He pulled me forward with his hands on my shoulders and my eyes widened in slight panic. "I've made a new friend! This is Tanner! Tanner, this is Rory. Say hello."

"Lohel." _**Hello.**_ I muttered quietly, as Rory raised a brow at me in confusion and went to say something, but the Doctor quickly pushed me inside the home as he spoke; cutting Rory off before he could get a word out.

"That was 'hello' in Argonian. I haven't quite figured out why the Tardis isn't translating her words to us at the moment. Though it seems to be working fine the other way around. She _is_ a bit illiterate though. We're working on it. Right now, she has a fascination with butterflies. Is Amy around?"

"Yeah. She's, uh, just upstairs. I'll… get her." Rory said as the Doctor pushed me down onto a bed-like object.

"This is a couch." He explained to me, seeing me bouncing on it lightly like I had with the bed. "It's like a bed, but it's more for sitting on. Not so much sleeping. It's like a comfy chair for more than one person."

I decided I liked the couch, though not as much as I liked stools. Or butterflies. It was then though, that more footsteps approached, sounding rather angry and making me stiffen as a red-headed woman came downstairs and gave the Doctor a firm look.

"Doctor, what have we said about bringing home new friends? You remember the Ood, don't you?"

The Doctor raised his hands in surrender, confronting her as I looked between the two of them in worry; preparing myself to step between them should the woman make a threatening move towards the Doctor.

"Yes, well, this is different! You see, I hadn't been meaning to, but I heard about this person who was having people fight in arenas, like gladiators. I wanted to check it out, but found out it was a bit… different and not something I really cared for. So I decided to put a stop to it and went to free their fighters. Turns out, Tanner was the only person there and I couldn't just leave her, so I took her with me." He smiled and the woman frowned at him, before sighing and pulling a hand through her hair.

"So you just thought, 'Oh, why don't I just kidnap a woman. Just for fun'?" She said, sounding annoyed.

"Well, not exactly. It started off as fun, but then got rather serious." He said, eyes getting sharp for a moment, before he smiled again. "But it's alright now! I informed the local authorities and had the man arrested, as well as letting poor Tanner here go. Bit skittish at first, but she's really rather nice. Very curious, bit illiterate—as I mentioned to Rory—but all around a very fine woman."

"Oh, course. You just pick up any little stray cat then, don't ya?" She drawled, but tossed up her hands; giving up. "Well, whatever floats your boat. And what do you mean a _bit_ illiterate?"

"Well, she seems to understand the gist of what I'm saying now—she wasn't before—which means the Tardis is translating what we're saying into Argonian for her."

"Argonian?" Amy questioned and he nodded.

"The native language, it seems. However, she doesn't understand everything and has apparently lived a _very_ sheltered life. We're working through it little by little. Oh! And the Tardis doesn't translate what she says into English, for some reason. Don't know what's wrong." He mused, before smiling at me on the couch. "Tanner? Come say hello to Amy."

I got up and headed over, cautiously, though my eyes were on her wildly red hair. "Lohel." _**Hello.**_

"Um, yeah. Hello." She replied, leaning over to the Doctor a bit as she spoke softer. "Why's she looking at me like that?"

"I actually think she's looking at your hair." He whispered back as I pointed.

"Dre." _**Red.**_

The Doctor nodded, lowering my finger. "Yes, Tanner. Her hair is red. Now don't point. It's rude."

I lifted my finger again and pointed at her. "Mocapinon?" _**Companion?**_

"Yes. She's my companion. Like I told you, remember?" He smiled, pushing my finger down again and making me frown, before turning to Rory. "Rory? Could you take her out front and see about finding some butterflies? I need to speak with Amy for a moment."

At the word 'butterflies', I grew excited and hurried to the door, waiting for the Doctor to join me. He waved at me though with a smile as Rory headed over instead.

"Tanner, Rory will find you butterflies, okay? I need to talk to Amy."

I hesitated, debating on the pros and cons of the situation. On one hand, I could stay with the Doctor and feel safe, but on the other hand, _butterflies_. Making my decision, I nodded and bolted out the door with Rory, eager to find the little fluttering creatures and catch one; missing the Doctor's pout.

"I feel like I've just been traded for _butterflies_ , of all things."

* * *

Amy frowned, eyeing the Doctor suspiciously as he peered out through the curtains to check on Tanner.

"Alright, Doctor. Spill. You said sheltered, but just how _sheltered_ was she?"

He sighed, turning away and dropping onto the couch before pulling a hand through his hair, making Amy question just what he'd gotten himself into this time to suddenly look like his actual age of over a thousand years.

"Oh, Amy. I'd only planned on having a bit of fun. Space gladiators, I thought. What could be the harm?"

Amy sat down beside him, concerned. "What happened?"

"That wasn't what it was. Simple as that." He said, leaning back on the couch and looking up at the ceiling. "They took what they found and pit whatever it was against other creatures in fights to the death. Some lived. Valuable merchandise to their business partners, I suspected, but most didn't."

"And Tanner?" Amy asked, hesitantly, seeing now that things hadn't quite gone the way the Doctor had wanted them too and just how badly he'd been hurt by it.

"Merchandise." He said, disgust evident in his voice. "Their 'prized fighter', their _champion…_ I couldn't leave her there, Amy." He dragged a hand down his face, sitting back up and giving her a devastated look. "She was living in a _cage_. Fighting three people at a time, fighting creatures like _bears_ and _sharks_. Aggedors and Karadax. And she stood up for herself while I was there. She refused to kill one of the people she was fighting and she… she was _whipped_ for it. Like a slave. Worse than property. Property at least gets taken care of, but she… she was just another beast to be thrown into the arena to those people. What was I to do?"

Amy rubbed his back, understanding dawning on her now as to what might have gone through his head at the time.

"Hey, it's alright. You saved her. I probably would've done the same, but what are you going to do now? You can't just keep her. She's not a pet, she's an actual person. With a family, I'll bet."

The Doctor shook his head. "That's just it, I don't think she has one. I gave her that name, Tanner. You should have seen her, Amy, when I asked her what her name was. I had to explain what a name even meant to her, because she's been in that cage so long, she's forgotten most of her own language. And when I explained that a name was what people called you, she told me her name was 'pest'. _Pest_. And she looked so proud. Like she's done something amazing by saying that and it was so _hard_ to explain to her that that wasn't what her name was. And she looked so lost, I just didn't know what to do. I could try finding her family, but would they even know her? Miss her? Or would they just send her right back there to that prison? And I can't just drop her off somewhere to start over. She didn't even know what a _bed_ was, Amy. She's so new to everything, so fragile. How could I just leave her behind somewhere after saving her? She didn't even want to go back _outside_ without me. And now I have to tell her I'll be leaving her? Possibly forever? I couldn't do that to her."

"So you brought her here." Amy concluded, understanding what he was saying, though still confused about one thing. "Why here?"

The Doctor's cheeks flushed. "W-Well, she's new to everything. And I mean, _everything_. Including… how to get dressed? Shirts, in particular, seem to be giving her trouble and I thought that if I had a woman on board to help her, things might be a bit easier?"

"So basically, you want me to play babysitter." Amy grumbled, not pleased, but the Doctor shook his hands.

"No! I'll be doing most of the explaining of things and such, but I'd rather not have to be the one helping her… change? It's nothing I haven't seen before, but I'd _really_ rather not."

Amy sighed, giving in upon seeing how awkward the Doctor was about this. "Alright, I'll do it. But you owe me."

The Doctor grinned. "Of course! Whatever you want!"

Amy nodded and they were interrupted by Rory poking his head in.

"Um, Doctor? You might want to see this."

The Doctor raised a brow, turning to Amy in confusion, but she just shrugged and the two of them got up and went out front to see what it was Rory wanted to show them. It wasn't anything either one of them expected though and Amy couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her lips upon seeing Tanner sitting on the ground practically _petrified_ in fear as numerous butterflies landed on her arms, nose, head, and legs. Rory explained.

"I tried to explain to her that they wouldn't hurt her but she hasn't moved since they landed on her."

"How did she attract so many?" The Doctor asked, curious as a smile appeared on his face.

Rory pulled a hand through his hair. "I mentioned they eat pollen from the flowers and that's why they were in the garden, and she started rubbing the flowers on her. I honestly didn't expect it to work, but… well, as you can see, it did."

Tanner looked over at the Doctor with wide worried eyes, and he chuckled and headed over; kneeling down and reaching out a finger for the butterfly on her nose to walk onto; which it did.

"You _can_ move, Tanner."

"Ubt yeth lyf yawa." _**But they fly away.**_ She said, keeping an eye on the butterflies to make sure that small movement hadn't made any fly off.

"Yes, but we're going to head back to the Tardis now and you can't take them with you. Amy and Rory are coming with us instead."

She glanced over at the couple waiting with small smiles on their face and she turned back to the floor with a small frown; getting up and watching the butterflies fly off sadly as the Doctor brushed the left over pollen off her clothes.

"We'll come back and see the butterflies again soon. Okay? Come on."

He took her wrist and pulled her along after him as he smiled at the Ponds; Amy shaking her head before the two of them followed after the Doctor and Tanner back into the Tardis to go on another adventure.

* * *

"Mercy. Eighty-one residents." The Doctor said and I blinked at the foreign word.

"'Diserents'?" _**Residents?**_

"People." He explained as I looked past the sticks on the ground and stared curiously at the empty town ahead of us.

I automatically was unsure about this place. The tan dirt under my shoes reminded me of the sand back at the arena.

"Look at this." Amy piped up. "It's a load of stones and lumps of wood. What is it?"

I looked down and went to pick one up, but the Doctor stopped me.

"Best not." He said, using the glowing stick he'd used on my cage, on the barrier before turning to Amy. "A load of stones and lumps of wood."

He stepped over the barrier grabbing my wrist and tugging me with him.

"Uh, the sign does say 'Keep Out'." Rory commented.

"I see Keep Out signs as suggestions more than actual orders. Like dry clean only."

I furrowed my brows in confusion, not understanding a word he said, but he waved off my concern.

"Tisck." _**Stick.**_ I commented, making the Doctor hum.

"Yes, sticks." He said, but I shook my head, reaching for his pocket and pulling out the device he used.

"Tisck." _**Stick.**_

He snatched it back and I stiffened, fearing that I'd messed with something I shouldn't have, but he didn't appear angry.

"It's my sonic screwdriver. It does things like open locked doors." He must have seen my confusion. "It's a magic stick."

My eyes widened as I looked at it in wonder, but he tucked it away.

"And it's very… easy to break. So don't touch it."

A little disappointed, I agreed as we headed further into the empty town. I grew more uneasy, spotting people watching us from windows and feeling very much as though I was in the arena awaiting my next opponent; missing the weight of my dagger on my hip. I jumped when there was a lamp on the side of the road that sparked, about ready to make a break for it, but the Doctor kept a firm grip on my wrist; frowning.

"That's not right."

"It's a street lamp." Rory said in confusion as the Doctor used his sonic, spotting me looking at him and trying to explain it better. "A, uh, light for the street."

"Treset malp." _**Street lamp.**_ I repeated, trying to get a feel for the foreign word.

"An electric street lamp about ten years too early." The Doctor said.

"It's only a few years out."

"That's what you said when you left your phone charger in Henry the Eighth's en suite."

"Doctor, um…" Amy glanced behind us as I began to grow uneasy at the people steadily emerging to watch us continue on.

"Anachronistic electricity, Keep Out signs, aggressive stares. Has someone been peeking at my Christmas list?"

"Doctor." Amy pressed again, but the Doctor took a sliver of wood from his pocket and stuck it in his mouth; releasing my hand and entering a room full of people.

Said people, went silent as he approached the bar; which, I noticed, had stools.

"Tea. But the strong stuff. Leave the bag in."

"Eta?" _**Tea?**_ I questioned and he winked as the woman behind the bar questioned him.

"What're you doing here, son?"

"Son? Ha! You can stay." The Doctor chuckled, though I felt as though I was missing something.

"Sir." A man stood up, making me shift closer to the Doctor. "Might I enquire who you is?"

"Of course. I'm the Doctor. This is—"

He didn't get to continue his introductions as the entire bar stood up and I stepped between him and them, growling dangerously.

"Now then, Tanner, calm down. They're not doing anything. It's fine." The Doctor calmed me, giving my shoulder a squeeze, though I very nearly attacked the man who approached us.

He was only armed with a tape measure though, and I grew more curious than threatened as the Doctor turned to him.

"Oh, thank you, but I don't need a new suit."

"I'm the undertaker, sir." The man said and I frowned.

"Derunkerta?" _**Undertaker?**_

"It's a man who cares for the dead." The Doctor said quietly, looking a bit worried himself now as another man stepped forward.

"I got a question. Is you an alien?"

"Well, um, bit personal." The Doctor replied. "It's all a bit relative, isn't it? I mean, I think _you're_ the aliens, but in this context, yes. Yes, I suppose I am."

Chairs shifted and people moved forward, but I snarled deeply, moving again before the Doctor and making the men pause. My eyes immediately counted the number of people and the weaknesses I could see; searching for possible weapons I could use to defend the man who'd saved me from the cage. A man moved within range then and I slammed my elbow across his temple; knocking him to the ground. They charged in after that and I fought them tooth and nail, unable to hear the Doctor calling for me to stop as my mind immediately shut down and turned back to let my instincts take over. I had taken out half the group before weapons were drawn and the moment I got a blade, it was as though I was right back in the arena.

I could hear the roar of the crowd egging me on, the laughter of amusement coming from the boss sitting up above, the pounding of my heart in my ears. I forgot where I was and what I was doing, who I was with. All I knew was that I needed to fight to stay alive. A pain went through my shoulder suddenly and I turned to the man with the weapon who'd hit me; orange eyes flashing as I launched myself towards him in preparation to kill. Then, everything was brought back in sharp contrast as a voice shouted in my ears and someone moved between me and my prey.

"Tanner, tosp!" _**Tanner, stop!**_

The blade slipped to the side just in time; narrowly missing the Doctor's jugular, though a small trickle of blood came from where the blade nicked him. My eyes came into focus on his emerald green ones as I panted and quivered, an overwhelming sense of confusion coming over me.

"T-Tordoc?" _**D-Doctor?**_

He smiled a bit, sending my heart into a panic as I saw the blood on his neck—as small as it was—and my blade having been the one to cause it. My throat tightened as I dropped the knife; it clattering to the ground as I stepped away from him with wide panicked eyes. He followed me though, hands out.

"Hey now. Hey, Tanner. It's alright. It's okay. I promise." He said softly, but I knew what I'd done and I felt fear rise up; the urge to run and run and never stop running taking me over.

Before I could move though, the Doctor was grabbed from behind. I went to help, but I was immediately forced back as a loud 'bang' rang out.

"No!"

My shoulder hurt and I looked down to see a darkness spreading on the right side of my shirt. I pawed at it for a moment, trying to make it stop. It was dirtying the shirt the Doctor gave me, and I didn't register that I'd been shot in my panic.

"Tanner!"

I turned to the Doctor, seeing him struggling against the man holding him and I tried again to go and help, but I was tackled to the ground. I couldn't think as pain flooded through my body from my shoulder and where the men were attacking me with fists and kicks. I could feel myself beginning to shut down. The pain was turning to numbness, thoughts being shoved to the back of my head as I closed my eyes and finally let out a breath. My body relaxed instantly and I was bound and hauled off by the men; away from the Doctor. They spoke to someone, I was put in a cage. I moved to the corner and sat with my back to the opening; mind closing itself off as it sank in that I was right back where I started. And after a moment, I gave in to the ink blackness trying to take me under. It was better than being scared. It was better than being trapped. It was my only safety, just as it had been for years at the arena.

* * *

"Where is Tanner?" The Doctor demanded as the trio walked with the sheriff towards the buildings. "Where is she?"

Isaac frowned, pausing. "Who?"

"Tanner!" The Doctor snapped a bit harshly. "Thin, tallish, orange eyes, short, messy brown hair. She was shot. Your _men_ shot her!"

"Oh, that's a lady?" Isaac questioned, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, she'll be fine. We put her in the cell in my office for now to keep her from hurting anyone. We've got a doctor in there now. He'll take a look at her."

The Doctor's eyes widened though, grabbing Isaac by his shirt. "You bring me there now, or you might very well have a _dead_ doctor on your hands."

Isaac nodded hastily and the group picked up the pace. Entering the sheriff's office, the Doctor turned to the cell where Tanner had a man pressed against the wall; a snarl on her face and her hand on his throat.

"Tanner! Tanner, stop!" The Doctor called out, turning to Isaac. "Open it. Open it now!"

Isaac nodded and opened the cell, drawing Tanner's attention to the Doctor as he stepped in. She growled lowly at him, daring him to come closer and the Doctor hesitated. This was different from before, in the bar. She wasn't in the right state of mind at the moment. He could tell how unfocused her eyes were from the pain she was in, how petrified she was being back in a cage with a stranger attempting to touch her. He needed to be very careful about how he approached this, or _he_ might end up being the one pinned to the wall.

"Tanner, it's alright. It's okay, look." He gestured to the open cell door. "You're not trapped. You're free, remember? Just put the man down."

"S'eh ont Tordoc." _**He's not Doctor.**_ She snarled and understanding dawned on the Doctor.

"No. No, he's not, but he kind of is, too." He explained, trying to find a simple way of doing so. "He's _a_ doctor. 'Doctor' is a kind of name called a title. Like teacher or leader." He said, stepping slightly closer when he saw her grip loosen. "He's _a_ doctor. But I'm _the_ Doctor. Doctor is my _name_ , Tanner. For him, it's his job."

She seemed to understand, turning back to the man she was holding and slowly releasing him as he sank to the floor in shock.

"Good, Tanner. Now come here. I'll take you out of here and look at your wounds."

She hesitated, looking at his neck, he realized, and he smile.

"It's okay. It's just a scratch. You didn't mean to. You were just trying to help, right?"

"…leph." _**…help**_. She repeated and he nodded, reaching out.

"That's right. No harm done. I forgive you."

"Girovef." _**Forgive.**_

"Yes, Tanner. It's okay."

Tanner reached for her chest then and the Doctor feared that she was in pain, before she said something with a tight voice.

"Turh. Ti turhs." _**Hurt. It hurts.**_ She looked at him with teary eyes. "Hyw? Ti ont ttuberlifes. Turhs." _**Why? It not butterflies. Hurts.**_

The Doctor's face softened. "You're sad, Tanner, but it's okay. I'm not mad. I just want to help you."

She finally moved towards him, slowly, hesitantly, but he took her wrist and backed out of the cell with her. Once out, she faltered and he quickly grabbed her, holding her up and moving her to a chair as she shuddered.

"Rory? Help me out a bit, please."

Rory quickly nodded and headed over, grimacing as he saw the size of the dark stain on Tanner's shirt.

"Did the bullet exit?" He asked quickly and the Doctor shifted to check her back.

"Yes."

"Good, but she's lost a lot of blood. We need to clean it and stitch it up."

Isaac cut in. "There's some medic stuff in the back, I'll grab it."

The Doctor nodded, reaching for Tanner's shirt. "Tanner, I'm going to take off your shirt, alright? We need to see if you're hurt elsewhere and how bad this is."

"Rroys." _**Sorry.**_ She murmured and the Doctor looked at her in concern.

"No, it's okay, Tanner. What are you sorry for?"

"Stirh." _**Shirt.**_

The Doctor couldn't help but smile a bit. "We'll get you a new one. Promise."

She lifted her gaze, looking at him and then the small cut on his neck.

"Tanner, it's fine, really."

She reached out and he stiffened, making her pause. "Leph. I… leph." _**Help. I… help.**_

The Doctor was curious, but held still as she leaned forward to look at the wound. What he didn't expect was her hand to cup the other side of his neck while her tongue ran over his jugular. Startled, he pulled back and brought a hand to his neck, only to pause. The cut was slowly healing.

"Tanner, you—"

He was cut off as Isaac returned.

"Here you go, Doc."

The Doctor took the medical supplies and handed them to Rory, before turning to Isaac. "Can you leave for a moment? I'm going to need to remove her shirt."

He nodded, uncomfortable with seeing a woman in that way, and stepped outside as the Doctor peeled off Tanner's shirt as carefully as he could. Amy grimaced when she saw the bandages already covering the woman and the blood on her. Tanner didn't even flinch though, as the Doctor removed the excess cloth and began looking over her wounds with Rory.

"God." Rory muttered as the Doctor took a damp cloth and began trying to clean her up a bit. "These aren't just new wounds."

The Doctor shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid not. She was a fighter, Rory. She was always bound to get hurt and when treated like an animal, there needs to be some form of punishment. Why do you think I took her from there?" The Doctor turned his gaze back to Tanner, who was breathing heavily now. "Tanner, can you do what you just did to my neck, to yourself?"

She shook her head slightly and the Doctor nodded, gesturing to Rory as he pulled out something to stitch her up with.

"Rory's going to help close your wound, alright? It's going to hurt a bit."

"Tordoc." _**Doctor.**_ She muttered, looking at Rory, who smiled a little.

"Actually, I'm a nurse. It's almost a doctor, but not quite."

"Rusen?" _**Nurse?**_

The Doctor nodded with a smile. "Yes, Tanner. A nurse. They help like a doctor too."

"Rusen, Tordoc, Amy; mocapinions." _**Nurse, Doctor, Amy; companions.**_

"Good, Tanner. You're a companion too, so you have to keep yourself safe." He said, taking her hand. "I know you only wanted to help, but killing is bad. I don't want you to kill people, and you should never hurt someone unless you have no other choice. Do you understand?"

Her orange eyes met his. "Lliknig dab. Turh dab." _**Killing bad. Hurt bad.**_

The Doctor nodded. "Yes, very good, Tanner." The Doctor stood up and started digging through his coat pockets. "Now let's see if I have a spare shirt in here… Ah-ha!"

He pulled out a dark blue shirt and handed it to Tanner, who took it with wide eyes.

"Stirh." _**Shirt.**_ She muttered as the Doctor grinned, before she reached out and tugged him over by his coat; dipping her head into his pocket. "Reweh stirh morf?" _**Where shirt from?**_

Amy raised a brow, stepping over curiously as Rory packed the medical supplies away.

"What's she doing?"

The Doctor chuckled. "Trying to figure out where the shirt came from. I'm worried if I tell her I have magic pockets that she'll never let me go." He turned to Tanner. "Tanner, why don't I help you put on your shirt?"

Tanner pulled her head from his pocket and handed him back the shirt for him to pull over her head. Once it was on, Tanner looked down at it and looked back up at the Doctor.

"Tubberflies!" _**Butterflies!**_ She exclaimed and the Doctor snorted.

"You're happy." He corrected. "Happy, not butterflies."

A hint of a smile appeared on Tanner's face as she tried to get up, but the Doctor stopped her.

"No, no, no. you better stay sitting. Rest, Tanner."

Tanner hesitated, but sat back down, color coming back to her pale cheeks as she looked around the room curiously. Isaac was brought back in then and the Doctor got back on track now that Tanner was alright.

"What was that outside?"

"The Gunslinger. Showed up three weeks back. We've been prisoners ever since. See that border line stretching round the town? Woke up one morning, there it was. Nothing gets past it, in or out. No supply wagons, no reinforcements. Pretty soon the whole town's going to starve to death." Isaac answered and Rory looked confused.

"But you let us in."

"You ain't carrying any food. Just three more mouths to feed. We'll all die even sooner now." He said bitterly.

"What happens if someone crosses the line?" The Doctor asked and Isaac tossed him a Stetson with a hole in it. "Ah, well, he wasn't very good shot then."

"He was aiming for the hat." Isaac explained, but the Doctor was a bit slow on the uptake.

"He shoots people's hats?"

"I think it was a warning shot." Amy informed him as he passed the hat to Rory.

"Ah. No, yes. I see. Hm."

"What does he want? Has he issued some kind of demand?" Amy asked, passing the hat back down to the Doctor, who plopped it on Tanner's head.

"That is a kind of hat called a Stetson."

Tanner's fingers brushed lightly over the brim. "Tah. Stetson." _**Hat. Stetson.**_ She said, tasting the foreign word slowly.

"Says he wants us to give him the alien doctor." Isaac answered Amy, who turned to the Doctor with Rory.

"But that's you. Why would he want to kill you? Unless he's met you."

"And how did he know that we'd be here?" Rory asked, lowering his voice. " _We_ didn't even know we'd be here."

Amy smiled over at Isaac. "We were aiming for Mexico. The Doctor was taking us to see the Day of the Dead Festival."

"Mexico's two hundred miles due south." Isaac informed them and the Doctor gave Rory a look.

"Well, that's what happens when people get toast crumbs on the console. Anyway, I think it's about time I met him, don't you?"

"Who?" Isaac questioned, feigning ignorance as the Doctor hoped up to sit on his desk; earning a curious look from Tanner.

"The chap outside said I could be the alien doctor, but you said I wasn't, so you already know who it is. Two alien doctors. We're like buses." The Doctor laughed. "Resident eighty-one, I presume, so beloved by the townsfolk he warranted an alteration to the sign. Probably because he rigged up these electrics, and I'm guessing he's in here, because if half the town suddenly wanted to throw me to my death, this is where I'd want to be. Though I suppose Tanner's already met him." The Doctor hopped down and faced the man in the cell from earlier. "Apologies about her. Difficult past as a cage fighting gladiator of sorts. And that's a _literal_ on the cage bit. A little possessive of me too, it seems, but we're working on it."

Isaac hurried over trying to stop him, but the man in the cell removed the blanket hiding him.

"Isaac, I think the time for subterfuge has passed. Good afternoon. My name is Kahler-Jex. I'm… _a_ doctor." The man replied being careful of his words as he glanced briefly at Tanner; who was distracted by the hole in the Stetson.

The Doctor grinned, shaking his hand as he explained to Amy and Rory. "The Kahler. I love the Kahler. They're one of the most ingenious races in the galaxy. Seriously, they could build a spaceship out of Tupperware and moss."

"Alright. How did you get here?" Amy questioned curiously, pushing the Doctor so that he was sitting in a chair beside Tanner.

"My craft crashed about a mile or so out of town. I would have died if Isaac and the others hadn't pulled me from the wreckage." Jex replied, sitting behind Isaac's desk.

"And you stayed, as their doctor." The Doctor smiled.

"On my world I was a surgeon, so it seemed logical. And it gave me an opportunity to repay my debt to them."

Isaac scoffed as the Doctor took the Stetson from Tanner with a smile. "Listen to him. Talking like it was nothing. Tell them about the cholera."

Tanner made a face, struggling with the word before the Doctor waved her off and to not worry about it as Jex tried to stop the sheriff.

"Now, Isaac, I'm sure our guests are—"

He was ignored.

"Two years after he arrived, there was an outbreak of cholera. Thanks to the doc here, not a single person died."

"A minor infection we'd found a treatment for centuries ago." Jex tried to wave off.

"No, no, what, what do you call 'em? The electrics?"

"Using my ship as a generator, I was able to rig up some rudimentary heating and lighting for the town."

The Doctor though, was suspicious, catching Tanner's attention as he leaned forward. "So, why does the Gunslinger want you?"

"Ligsenrung?" _**Gunslinger?**_ Tanner questioned.

"Big scary guy outside." The Doctor explained briefly.

"It don't matter." Isaac said shortly, answering the Doctor's question.

"I'm just saying, if we knew that—"

He cut the Doctor off. "America's the land of second chances. We called this town Mercy for a reason. Others, some round here, don't feel that way."

"Now, Isaac. We've discussed this." Jex tried to calm the man.

"People whose lives you've saved are suddenly saying we should hand you over."

"They're scared, that's all. You can hardly blame them."

"Them being scared scares me. War only ended five years back. That old violence is still under the surface. We give up Doc Jex, then we hand the keys of the town over to chaos."

Tanner fidgeted, something the Doctor took note of as he spoke.

"Did you try to repair your craft? Surely someone with your skills—"

"It really was very badly damaged." Jex interrupted.

"We evacuate the town. Our ship's just over the hills, room for everyone. I'll pop out, bring it back here, Robert's your uncle." The Doctor offered, standing and sitting on the edge of the desk to face Amy and Rory; who looked suspicious.

"Really? Simple as that? No crazy schemes, no negotiations?"

"I've matured. I'm twelve hundred years old now. Plus, I don't want to miss 'The Archers'. I think Tanner will get a kick out of a radio."

"Diaro?" _**Radio?**_ Tanner questioned, starting to stand as well.

"It's a magic box that people's voices can come from." The Doctor grinned, pleased at the excitement in Tanner's eyes at the mention of a 'magic box'.

"Oh, so you're not even a tiny bit curious?" Amy asked as the Doctor picked up the Stetson and moved to the door.

"Why would I be curious? It's a mysterious space cowboy assassin. Curious? Of course, I'm not curious."

The sheriff stopped him though. "Son? You've still got to get past the Gunslinger. How you going to do that?"

The Doctor put the hat on with a cocky smirk. "Will a little sleight of hand."


	3. Chapter 3

I trailed behind the Doctor as he headed out of the sheriff's office, having sent said man and Rory to go distract the Gunslinger. When the Doctor approached an animal of some kind though, I grew slightly hesitant.

"Wath si hast? Si it dab?" _**What is that? Is it bad?**_

"Bad? What? No, it's a horse!" The Doctor explained, taking my hand and tugging me to the animal despite my reluctance.

The animal didn't move as he placed my hand on its neck and I blinked in surprise at how it felt under my fingers. It was strong, but seemed relatively mellow. It turned its head then though, and I jumped, trying to pull my hand back, but the Doctor smiled reassuringly.

"It's alright, Tanner. Horses are for riding on. They don't bite unless you're mean to them."

"Yeth… cine?" _**They… nice?**_

He nodded, holding my hand up to the horse's head and getting me to pet down its long face. Its nose in particular, was soft under my fingers and the Doctor soon released me to allow me to pet it freely on my own as he climbed onto the leather seat on its back.

"Can I borrow your horse please?" He asked the man standing by it. "It's official Marshal business."

"He's called Joshua. It's from the Bible." The man replied. "It means Deliverer."

The Doctor though, disagreed. "No, he isn't."

"What?"

"I speak horse. He's called Susan and he wants you to respect his life choices." He turned to me then. "Tanner, I want you to go and keep an eye on Amy, alright?"

I hesitated and he sighed softly.

"Please, Tanner. You're still hurt and you shouldn't be moving too much with that wound. Go keep Amy safe. For me?"

I paused, before nodding. "Peke Amy faes." _**Keep Amy safe.**_

He smiled and ruffled my hair as he turned the horse away. "I'll be back, Tanner. Promise."

He hurried off on the animal and I clenched fist at my side as a tight feeling in my chest expanded.

"Someprie…" _**Promise…**_

I turned back to the sheriff's building and entered, looking at Amy's red hair and vowing to do as the Doctor said and protect her. She spoke when I entered though.

"Where's the Doctor? Did he leave already?"

"Tordoc evael. Roshe." _**Doctor leave. Horse.**_ I pointed out the window, but she didn't seem to understand.

"Right. I take it, that means 'yes'." She hopped up on the sheriff's desk as I stood nearby, shuffling from one foot to the other as she spoke to Jex. "When this is all done, do you want us to take you home?"

"Thank you, but I've already given everything I have to the Kahler. My skills, energy, all that was good in me. Here, I could start afresh. I could remember myself and help people. That's all I ever wanted to do, end suffering." He replied.

"Here." Amy said, getting up and putting Isaac's coat over Jex as I tilted my head.

"Clod?" _**Cold?**_ I began to search for something more, but Amy stopped me.

"No, no. It's alright, Tanner."

I slowly stopped my search, but did as she said and Jex gave her a small look.

"You're a mother, aren't you?"

"How did you know?"

"There's kindness in your eyes. And sadness, but a ferocity too."

"Life's not exactly straight forward."

"It seldom is."

Amy looked at him. "And what about you? Are you a father?"

"Yes. In a way, I suppose I am."

I was confused though, pointing to myself. "Trehom? Trehaf?" _**Mother? Father?**_

"Ah… no, I don't think you are." Amy said, brows furrowed. "Although, I suppose you could be. Maybe? Do you remember if you are?"

"Bemmerer?" _**Remember?**_ I blinked in confusion and she sighed.

"Guess not."

Something flickered in the corner of my vision then, and I turned quickly, but it was just a light fading in and out. I pointed at it curiously.

"Treset malp." _**Street lamp.**_

"What?" Jex questioned and I repeated myself as he looked at it too.

"Treset malp."

"Oh! I know this one!" Amy exclaimed, drawing my attention to her. "You said this when Rory was talking about the lamps outside. Street lamp, right?"

I nodded, excited that she understood. "Treset malp!" _**Street lamp!**_

She grinned, proud of herself and corrected me. "Actually, that's just a lamp. Uh, malp." _**Lamp.**_

My eyes widened at the accented Argonian and I shifted closer to her.

"Malp!" _**Lamp!**_

She took a small step back with a nod, lightly pushing me back with a finger. "Uh, yeah. That's right."

I heard a noise then and looked away, staring at the door. Amy and Jex must have heard it too, because the three of us were soon standing on the porch and looking off into the distance.

"Wath si onsei." _**What is noise?**_

"That's the alarm on my ship." Jex said, answering my question accidentally.

"Marla?" _**Alarm?**_ I asked, understanding it was something on his ship that was making the noise. "Dab?" _**Bad?**_

"Maybe the Doctor wants to get it working again." Amy said, ignoring me for now.

I missed the Doctor explaining things to me.

"But that wasn't the plan. He's not following the plan."

"Welcome to my world." Amy grumbled as Jex went back inside.

Amy took a bit more, staring out and giving me a small smile. "So, guess it's just up to us to wait then, eh?"

I blinked, unsure of what she said, and her smile fell as she rolled her eyes with a sigh.

"Right. Speaking with an illiterate. Come on." She grabbed my hand and tugged me inside, much like the Doctor does, but when she did, we were faced with Jex pointing a gun at us.

"I'm sorry, Amy. He really should have followed the plan."

Easily sensing the danger, I pulled Amy back behind me and lifted my lips in a snarl at Jex.

"On turh Amy. I peke Amy faes. I someprie Tordoc." _**No hurt Amy. I keep Amy safe. I promise Doctor.**_

"Tanner…" Amy murmured, hand gripping the back of my shirt as Jex swallowed thickly.

He was afraid.

"N-Now listen. I don't want to hurt you, but I will." He said, shifting the gun slightly and making me growl as he spoke to Amy behind me. "Tell her to stay back."

"Like _I_ know what to say. She's illiterate. The only one she'll listen to is the Doctor."

His eyes were getting shifty and I knew what that meant. He was deciding what to do, and I knew how that typically ended. I knew what happened when _I_ had that look all those years ago. When I hesitated. I nearly lost.

 _Blood dripped down into the dirt._

 _A blade buried into my side up to the hilt._

 _Dizziness creeping in, then something hot._

 _Fiery._

 _How_ dare _he._

Something in me snapped at that memory, and I lunged when Jex's eyes shifted away. A gunshot went off and Amy screamed, but the barrel was in my hand and the bullet had hit nothing but the wood of the ceiling above us. I didn't feel the heat coming off the barrel turning my hand red as I grabbed Jex and threw him into the bars of the jail cell. I dropped the gun to the ground and charged again with a snarl; my hand wrapping around his throat as I pulled back my arm, but something stopped me.

"Tanner! Tanner, stop!"

Amy had wrapped her arms around mine, trying to stop me and I turned to her with a growl, but she hung on.

"Tanner, what would the Doctor say?! He wouldn't want you to do this! Hurting people is bad, remember?"

I stopped growling, recognition popping up.

" _You have to keep yourself safe."_

"… _you only wanted to help, but killing is bad."_

"Lliknig dab…" _**Killing bad…**_ I muttered, calming down. "Turh dab." _**Hurt bad.**_

Amy nodded desperately. "Yes! Hurting is bad! Let him go!"

I hesitated mind in conflict about not hurting when the Doctor told me to help. "Peke Amy faes. Someprie." _ **Keep Amy safe. Promise.**_

My brows pinched together.

"Ubt on turh?" _**But no hurt?**_

I was confused, bringing a hand to my head and trying to figure out what I should do. Just then though, Isaac entered and had a gun pointed at me as well.

"What are you doing?" He snapped. "Let him go."

I didn't know what to do. My body jittered in anxiety as I looked between everyone as they all started shouting at once.

"No! It was Jex! He was pointing a gun at me! Tanner's just trying to help!"

"W-What?! No! She attacked me! I was just trying to defend myself! Isaac, please. Believe me!"

"Don't lie! Tanner, don't let him go!"

" _No_ , let him go!"

"I _really_ think we should talk about this."

"Talk?! She attacked me!"

"She did not! You attacked _us_!"

I couldn't be there anymore. Everyone's shouting just became ringing in my ears and I needed to run. I needed to get away. I'd done something wrong. I must have. They were all angry and shouting like the owner did when something happened that he didn't like, but I couldn't figure it out. What did I do? Why wouldn't anyone tell me what I did? What I _should_ do? Where was the Doctor? He promised he'd come back. I needed to get out. I _had_ to get out, but how? I promised to keep Amy safe. I promised not to hurt. Not to kill. How do I get out and do all that I vowed to do? A small whine escaped my throat, unnoticed by everyone as their yelling continued, before I moved.

I shoved Jex into the cage and closed it, taking the keys out and turning to Isaac as he stared in shock. He still had his weapon out, so I dashed forward and grabbed that; picking the other off the floor as I took Amy by the wrist and tugged her with me. She was dragging her feet, shouting something at me, but I scooped her up and tossed her over my shoulder before rushing out of the sheriff's building and out onto the street. They were still shouting, right behind me, so I ran. They couldn't keep up as I rushed through the town; breaths coming out in short gasps as my eyes searched for a hiding spot. I spotted the clock tower and hurried inside and up the steps, ignoring the pain that went through my body with Amy pounding on my back.

When I reached the top though, I set her down in a corner and moved to the doorway to see if we'd been followed. She grabbed my arm though, shouting at me, before I lost my temper and snarled a her. She pulled away, stepping back as I returned my eyes to the door. No one had followed, but I could hear them outside and another whine escaped me. Was I doing something wrong _still_? Rory was upset, but Jex was unhurt. Amy was safe. I had the weapons on me and now neither of us could get hurt. I wanted the Doctor back. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know if I was doing right or wrong. He would tell me, but he wasn't back.

"Ubt eh somepried…" _**But he promised…**_ I murmured under my breath, pacing by the doorway with more quiet whines. "I itaw. Eh somepried." _**I wait. He promised.**_

* * *

The Doctor rode into the town and was about to head to the sheriff's building, only to see the man and Rory outside.

"What's going on?" He asked cautiously.

"It's that woman of yours!" Isaac snapped. "She had Jex by the throat then locked him in the cell and took the keys!"

"Tanner took Amy too." Rory added on. "I don't know where they went. She just sort of grabbed the guns and bolted for it."

The Doctor got off the horse and frowned. "Guns?"

Rory nodded. "There was one on the floor when Isaac and I showed up, but Isaac had one too and she took it."

"Something's not adding up." The Doctor grumbled. "Did you see which direction she went?"

"Out the door and down the road this way." Isaac replied, gesturing widely to the street before them. "Don't know where else past here. She's quick. I'll give her that."

The Doctor furrowed his brows. _She was trying to hide, for whatever reason, but where would she go? Somewhere she felt safe. Somewhere out of the way, but not entirely closed off. She must have known I was coming back though, so somewhere—_ He was cut off as the clock tower chimed and understanding dawned on him.

"Highly visible." He murmured, rushing towards the building, but waving Isaac and Rory off as they started to follow. "No, you two stay here. If more people come up, she'll feel cornered and might lash out. I'll meet you back in the Marshal's office."

He hurried into the building and up the stairs, reaching the top and calling out hesitantly before he was visible from the doorway.

"Tanner? Tanner, it's the Doctor. I'm coming up, okay?"

He went a little further and reached the top where a room was behind the clock face. Amy was standing by the far wall and Tanner was pacing back and forth like a caged animal.

"Tanner?" The Doctor said quietly, reaching a hand out and Tanner quickly turned to him with wide, feral eyes.

Her hand was tense by her hip, as though reaching for a weapon, but the two guns Rory had mentioned were a little ways away on the floor.

"Tanner, it's alright. It's me." He said quietly and Tanner relaxed with a long whine that the Doctor hadn't heard from her before.

"She keeps doing that." Amy spoke up, taking a small step towards the Doctor. "I don't know why."

"Well, most animals—like dogs—whine when they're anxious. Not that she's an animal, but you get what I'm saying." He explained briefly, eyes locked on Tanner. "Tanner, what's wrong? What happened?"

"Jex pulled a gun on us." Amy said, explaining for the anxious woman. "Things got a little out of hand and Isaac and Rory came in then."

"And they misunderstood the situation." The Doctor nodded, but was still confused. "But how did you end up here?"

"Peke Amy faes." _**Keep Amy safe**_. Tanner said then. "I somepried." _**I promised**_ _._

"Yes. You did promise me that." The Doctor nodded. "You promised you'd keep Amy safe and you did very good, Tanner."

He reached for her again, but she shrunk back, hesitant.

"On turh. I on turh." _**No hurt. I no hurt.**_ She muttered.

"Good. That's good, Tanner. You didn't hurt anyone. It's alright."

She still didn't come over though and it was then that Amy realized what may have happened.

"Oh…"

The Doctor turned to her. "What? What is it?"

"She thinks she's in trouble." Amy explained. "Because after Isaac came in, everyone just started trying to explain at once. Jex said Tanner attacked him and he was doing self-defense. I was trying to say he attacked us and Isaac was trying to get Tanner to let Jex go, while I told her not to."

The Doctor's eyes widened. "But I had her promise to keep you safe and not to hurt anyone or get hurt herself. If she let Jex go, you might get hurt. If she didn't, _she_ would get hurt. And if she tried to stop anyone, _they_ would get hurt. Oh. _Oh!_ She didn't know what to do! She didn't know who to listen to because no one was there to translate and show her what was right or wrong. So, she took all the weapons that could hurt people, took _you_ to keep her promise to me to keep you safe, and locked Jex up incase _he'd_ try to hurt someone. Then she hid to keep herself safe. She was keeping all her promises in the only way she knew how! Then she hid out until I showed up, because I made my own promise to come back. She just wants to know if she did something wrong! _That's_ why she was whining. She was unsure!"

"That's it?" Amy questioned dubiously.

"Well, when you get whipped every time you do something wrong, being right becomes a big deal." He explained, turning back to Tanner with a soft smile. "You did right, Tanner. You did good! You kept Amy safe and no one got hurt. Very good, Tanner."

Tanner perked up, looking hesitant but hopeful. "Ont dab? I od odgo?" _**Not bad? I do good?**_

The Doctor nodded, smile turning into a full-blown grin. "Tanner, you did _very_ good."

He reached out and pulled the woman to him in a hug.

She stiffened, unsure about what was going on, before the Doctor pulled away with a smile.

"That was a hug! It means I'm very happy!"

Tanner brightened. "Ryev phapy!" _**Very happy!**_

Tanner hugged him back, a little _too_ tight, but the Doctor didn't mind as he pat her head with a chuckle.

"Yes! Very happy. You did good!"

"I od odgo!" _**I do good!**_ She replied, setting him down and lifting her lip in a sort of half-smile. "Phapy! Ttuberlifes!" _**Happy! Butterflies!**_

She turned to Amy, who stiffened as she hurried over and hugged her as well.

"Phapy! Amy faes!" _**Happy! Amy safe!**_

"R-Right." Amy breathed out, being slightly crushed by Tanner's grip. "Doctor? Bit of help here?"

"Come on, Tanner." The Doctor said, lightly tugging her off Amy and pulling her towards the door. "Let's go explain what's going on to the others."

Tanner dug in her heels though, cautious. "Yeth dam…" _**They mad…**_

"No, no, no. It's okay. We'll tell them what happened." He explained as best he could. "They didn't understand. They didn't know what you were doing. You were trying to help, right?"

Tanner nodded slowly. "Leph." _**Help.**_

"See? It'll be okay. I'll tell them too."

She followed him out and they headed back to the sheriff's office; Tanner flinching when Isaac and Rory abruptly stood.

"Amy!"

Rory rushed to Amy and Tanner stiffened, but the Doctor squeezed her hand to keep her calm as Rory hugged Amy. Tanner saw this and tilted her head, pointing.

"Phapy!" _**Happy!**_

Rory let Amy go in confusion as the Doctor pushed Tanner's hand down and nodded.

"Yes. Rory's happy Amy's safe."

Tanner puffed up pridefully. "I peke Amy faes." _**I keep Amy safe.**_

"Yes. You did a very good job keeping Amy safe." The Doctor said, handing Isaac back the two guns. "I believe these are yours."

"Now, hold on a minute." The man said, eyes narrowed. "Will someone explain to me what's going on?"

The Doctor nodded, eyes narrowed at Jex as the man stood uncertainly in the cell. "He's lying. Every word, everything he says, it's all lies. This man attacked Amy and tried to place the blame on Tanner, who was just trying to protect her."

"Then why did she run?"

Tanner stiffened as Isaac thrust a finger her direction, but the Doctor tucked her behind him.

"Because she was confused. She promised me that she would keep Amy and herself safe, but also that she wouldn't hurt anyone."

Rory understood. "So she took Amy away, locked Jex up and took the guns before hiding."

The Doctor nodded. "She kept everyone safe and waited for me, because no one was explaining anything to her." He pulled out the jail cell keys and swung them around on his finger as he glared at Jex. "Locking him up was a good move though. Jex is a murderer."

"I am a scientist." Jex argued as the Doctor unlocked the cell and opened the door, pointing to a chair.

"Sit down."

Jex stayed standing defiantly, before the Doctor shouted.

"Sit down!"

Tanner looked around uncertainly as did the others in the room, not used to seeing the Doctor's happy-go-lucky persona turn so sour.

"Tell them what you are."

"What am I? A war hero." Jex snapped from the chair.

"Okay, somebody want to tell me what is going on?" Isaac questioned, confused at the sudden change in subject.

"The Gunslinger is a Cyborg."

"A what?"

"Half man, half machine. A weapon. Jex built it. He and his team took volunteers, told them they'd been selected for special training, then experimented on them, fused their bodies with weaponry, and programmed them to kill." The Doctor explained and Isaac frowned, but looked at Jex.

"Okay. Why? Why would you do that, Doc?"

"We'd been at war for nine years. A war that had already decimated half of our planet. Our task was to bring peace, and we did. We built an army that routed the enemy and ended the war in less than a week. Do you want me to repent, to beg forgiveness for saving millions of lives?"

"And how many died screaming on the operating table before you had found your advantage?!" The Doctor snarled; Tanner getting tenser by the second.

"War is another world. You cannot apply the politics of peace to what I did. To what _any_ of us did."

"What happened then?" Rory asked. "How come you're here?"

"When the war ended we had the Cyborgs decommissioned, but one of them must have got its circuitry damaged in battle. It went offline and began hunting down the team that created it until just two of us were left. We fled, and our ships crashed here."

"So, what do we do with Jex?"

"What do we do with him?" Isaac questioned back, affronted.

"Yeah, I mean, he's a war criminal."

"No, he's the guy that saved the town from cholera, the guy that gave us heat and light." Isaac argued with Rory.

Amy was quick to agree. "Look. Jex may be a criminal and yeah, kind of creepy—"

"And still in the room." Jex interrupted.

"—but I think we should put aside what he did and find another solution."

"Another solution? It's him or us." Rory countered.

"When did we start letting people get executed? Did I miss a memo? Doctor, tell him."

The Doctor, having not been listening, waved her off. "Hm? Yes. I don't know. Whatever Amy said."

Jex though, glared at the man. "Looking at you, Doctor, is like looking into a mirror, almost. There's rage there, like me. Guilt, like me. Solitude. Everything but the nerve to do what needs to be done. Thank the gods my people weren't relying on you to save them."

"No. No, but these people are…" The Doctor finally snapped, grabbing the man and shoving him to the door. "Out! Out! Out!"

The group hurried after him as he shoved the man down the street, pushing him over the line of sticks bordering the town as the townsfolk came out as well.

"Get over and don't come back." The Doctor snarled.

Jex tried to get back over, but the Doctor then grabbed a gun from a man standing nearby and pointed it at him.

"You wouldn't." Jex said.

The Doctor cocked the weapon. "I genuinely don't know."

Tanner looked between them with a whine, nearly jumping out of her skin with a gunshot went off and Amy stood with a pistol of her own pointed in the air.

"Let him come back, Doctor."

"Or what? You won't shoot me, Amy." The Doctor argued.

"How do you know? Maybe I've changed. I mean, you've clearly been taking stupid lessons since I saw you last." She said, firing off two more shots into the ground. "I didn't mean to do that."

"Everyone who isn't American, drop your gun." Isaac snapped as the Doctor stormed over to Amy.

"We can end this right now. We could save everyone right now."

"This is not how we roll, and you know it. What happened to you, Doctor? When did killing someone become an option?" Amy asked.

"Jex has to answer for his crimes."

"And what then? Are you going to hunt down everyone who's made a gun or a bullet or a bomb?"

The Doctor grew more frustrated. "But they coming back, don't you see? Every time I negotiate, I try to understand. Well, not today. No. Today, I honor the victims first. His, the Master's, the Dalek's, all the people who died because of _my_ mercy!"

"You see, this is what happens when you travel alone for too long. Well, listen to me, Doctor. We can't be like him. We have to be better than him."

The Doctor scowled, before someone began tugging at the gun in his hand. He whipped around to see Tanner whining and trying to pull the gun from his grip and Amy's.

"Stop it. Tanner, stop. What are you doing?" He snapped at her and she let out another whine.

"On turh. Lliknig dab." _**No hurt. Killing bad.**_

The Doctor's eyes softened, his grip loosening on the gun as Amy allowed Tanner to take hers away as well and the Doctor let out a long sigh.

"Amelia Pond. Tanner… Fine, fine. We think of something else. But frankly, I'm betting on the Gunslinger." He turned to Jex and held out his hand. "Jex, move over the line. Now."

Behind him, the Gunslinger moved, standing behind the man in an instant with his weapon aimed at him.

"Make peace with your Gods." He told Jex, who turned slowly and looked right back at him.

"Kahler-Tek, isn't it? I remember all your names, even now. I'll never hurt anyone again. I'm even helping people here."

"Last chance. Make peace with your gods."

"No!" Isaac shouted, rushing forwards and pushing Jex out of the way, but he wasn't the only one.

Tanner had moved as well, shoving the Gunslinger's weapon up the last second.

"Tanner!" The Doctor called out in concern as Isaac pulled Jex back over the line, but Tanner was snarling at the Gunslinger.

"On lliknig. Dab! Lliknig dab!" _**No killing. Bad! Killing bad!**_

The Gunslinger lifted his lip in a snarl as well, grabbing her by the throat as the Doctor cried out.

"Tanner!"

Tanner didn't make a sound as the Gunslinger lifted her off the ground, still glaring at the man even as he threw her back onto the dirt inside the border, skidding feet away from the group of people.

"Tanner!" Amy called out, rushing to her as the Doctor stormed forward to face the Gunslinger.

"Take Jex to his cell." He ordered and Isaac nodded, escorting him. "This has gone on long enough."

"You are right." The Gunslinger responded. "You've got until noon tomorrow. Give him to me or I'll kill you all."

He vanished and the Doctor let out a long breath before Amy called out.

"Doctor! Doctor, something's wrong with Tanner!"

He turned and ran to the woman's side, finding her clutching her shoulder and he groaned as he helped her sit up.

"Oh, no, no, no." He muttered, pulling away the woman's shirt and seeing the bandages around her shoulder injury turning red. "She's reopened her wound. We'll need to redo the stitches and bandages. Oh, you're going to be one of those companions, aren't you? Always running headfirst into danger without a second thought."

Amy smiled a bit. "Sounds familiar."

The Doctor wagged his finger at her, but started to gather Tanner up in his arms. "Come on. Best get you fixed up."

Tanner fidgeted though and he begrudgingly allowed her to walk on her own with his arm around her waist as support.

"Ligsenrung dab. On llik." _**Gunslinger bad. No kill.**_ She murmured and the Doctor nodded.

"Yes. He's not very nice, is he? You did good though, Tanner. You kept Isaac safe." He complimented her, knowing that Isaac might very well have been killed himself if she hadn't intervened.

"Ubt M'i turh…" _**But I'm hurt…**_ She said softly, showing him her scrapped elbow and palm and then tugging at her shirt. "Stirh ritdy." _**Shirt dirty.**_

"It's okay. It's okay for your shirt to get dirty. I have more." He said as they neared the sheriff's building. "And you're only a little hurt. I can make you better, but then I want you to rest, alright? I want you to sleep."

Tanner looked nervous though. "Oyu on evael?" _**You no leave?**_

"No, I won't leave. Promise. But no more getting hurt, okay? Not while we're here, anyway."

She nodded. "On turh. Someprie." _**No hurt. Promise.**_

* * *

The Doctor walked back into the sheriff's station with a heavy sigh after having helped Isaac deal with the crowd of upset townsfolk outside. His gaze shifted to Tanner though and a small smile slipped onto his lips as he headed over to her. She was slightly slumped over in a corner of the room with his coat wrapped around her, breathing slowly and fast asleep. She didn't look entirely comfortable to him, so the Doctor shifted over and settled down next to her; tugging her towards him and allowing her to rest with her head on his lap. He ran his fingers through her short, messy hair letting out another soft sigh as the collar of her shirt slipped to reveal some of the bandages that were wrapped around her shoulder. It reminded him of what he'd nearly done, the mistake he'd nearly made, but it also made him curious as he remembered how she'd healed the cut to his neck. _What_ are _you?_

"Let me guess." Jex spoke up, ruining the Doctor's moment. "The good folk of Mercy wanted me to take a little stroll into the desert. You could turn a blind eye. No one would blame you. You'd be a hero."

"But I can't, can I?" The Doctor argued. "I told Tanner how bad it was. To go against that, would go against everything I told her. I'm the only one who can show her what to do. I don't want her to end up like we did." He shook his head briefly. "Do you _want_ me to hand you over? Is that what you want? Do you even know?"

"You think I'm unaffected by what I did? That I don't hear them screaming every time I close my eyes? It would be so much simpler if I was just one thing, wouldn't it? The mad scientist who made that killing machine, or the physician who's dedicated his life to serving this town. The fact that I'm both bewilders you."

The Doctor scoffed. "Oh, I know exactly what you are, and I see this reformation for what it really is. You committed an atrocity and chose this as your punishment. Don't get me wrong, good choice. Civilized hours, lots of adulation, nice weather, but, _but_ justice doesn't work like that. You don't get to decide when and how your debt is paid." He snarled, trying to keep his voice down as much as he could, though Tanner still shifted with a small grumble.

"In my culture, we believe that when you die your spirit has to climb a mountain carrying the souls of everyone you wronged in your lifetime. Imagine the weight I will have to lift. The monsters I created, the people they killed. Can you see now why I fear death?" He asked, the Doctor lifting his head. "You want to hand me over. There's no shame in that. But you won't. We all carry our prisons with us. Mine is my past. Yours is your morality."

"We carry our prisons with us. Ha." The Doctor said, gesturing to the woman lying across his lap. "Look at her. Look at how calm she is, how quiet she can be. She doesn't know anything about anything, yet she's teaching _me_ how to be a good man."

"She saved Isaac." Jex piped up. "She's better than the both of us."

The Doctor shook his head. "Is she? You don't know where she came from, what she's done. She was a gladiator, Jex. The worst kind. The kind that was ripped from her home, her family and shoved in a pit with nothing and told, 'This is your life now. Fight or die'. She's killed and hurt people all her life, losing herself bit by bit. She's illiterate now. Can't remember half of her own language, she was there so long. I had to stop her in that bar to keep her from adding to that number of people she's hurt. She doesn't know how to do anything other than fight and kill. What kind of burden do you think she carries, hm? She was doing exactly what we were. She was just trying to live, to survive. I could have just left her there too. I could have left her to pay for what she'd done, but I didn't. It was wrong, just as it's wrong to do the same to you. I taught her that. I told her that hurting people, that killing was bad. I want to hold her to my standard, but how can I do that when I can't even hold _myself_ to that standard? And she reminded me of that. She showed me that I needed to stop and take a step back, because this wasn't how I wanted her to be. This wasn't how she wanted _me_ to be." He chuckled then. "And she doesn't even know what a bed is."

There was a knock and Amy poked her head into the building.

"Hey. Isaac says we can stay upstairs. There's some beds and such."

The Doctor nodded, getting up and picking Tanner up as well; her unconsciously clinging to him as he carried her. "Lead the way."

* * *

The clock chimed noon and I waited anxiously in the church with the other citizens. The Doctor had demanded I remain here to keep them safe and as much as I wanted to remain by his side, I did as he told me and waited in the church should the gunslinger show up and threaten them. I was their only line of defense and I promised I would keep them safe. The Doctor trusted me with that, and I wasn't about to let him down. That being said, I couldn't help pacing and the occasional whine that escaped me. I was worried. I wanted to be of more help to him. If anyone should be fighting, it should be me.

A screech rang out then, signaling the beginning of the Doctor's plan that had been too complicated for me to follow when he'd been explaining it to the others. I stopped pacing and simply stared at the door, wishing I had my dagger at my side should things get difficult. After a moment, a shadow passed outside the windows and I resisted a growl, not wanting to give myself away. A small child in the back moved closer to the corner and I ushered the priest behind me to retreat from his kneeling position. He moved slowly and soon joined others on one of the pews as the Gunslinger moved ever closer to the doors.

I jolted as the girl knock over some books and my eyes whipped around to her as a small gasp escaped her lips. We were found. I heard the charging of the man's gun and jumped out of the way as he shot the door open; rolling back up onto my feet and growling in annoyance once more at my lack of a weapon. The people inside screamed as he came in and waved his gun around, but I stood firm before the people, snarling. His gun shifted to me and I stared him down as I shouted at him.

"On lliknig. Lliknig dab! Evael! I peke leppoe faes!" _**No killing! Killing bad! Leave! I keep people safe!**_

He looked past me then, staring for a moment at the girl from before, before he slowly lowered the gun and walked out. The snarl slipped from my face as I grew confused, but I feared for the Doctor now. This plan of his was taking too long. The people behind me were safe. I could leave, couldn't I? I glanced back at the people, locking eyes with the priest from before and he gave me a slow nod, as though telling me to go. I didn't waste another moment, a whine escaping my lips for breaking the order the Doctor had given me, but I dove out of the church and quickly made my way towards where I saw the Gunslinger heading. A knot formed in my stomach and I hurried around the back of the building as the Gunslinger went over the front porch, feeling my legs ache as I skid in the dirt to round the corner to the gap between the buildings where the Doctor was. He spotted me and his eyes widened, about to say something, but the Gunslinger rounded his corner as well; gun charged and aimed at the Doctor.

"Tordoc!" _**Doctor!**_

I growled, feeling that fiery feeling from before well up in me at the sight of the Doctor being targeted and jumped in front of him with the full intent of taking on the Gunslinger barehanded, but the Doctor grabbed me.

"Tanner! Tanner, don't! You need to calm down."

"Tordoc ont faes. I peke Tordoc faes!" _**Doctor not safe. I keep Doctor safe!**_

"Where is he?" The Gunslinger demanded and I growled, though the Doctor answered.

"He's gone."

"Where? Answer me!" He stomped forwards, but I didn't move, even as the gun was pressed up against my chest.

It was only the Doctor's hand on my wrist that kept me from launching myself at the cyborg.

"Away from here. Look up. Any second now you'll see the vapor trail of his ship. This is their home, not the backdrop for your revenge. Lookup, go after him, take this battle away from—"

A screeching cut the Doctor off and Jex's voice rang out.

" _Kahler-Tek. Kahler-Tek_."

"Jex. Coward." The Gunslinger snapped. "Where are you?"

" _I'm in my ship_."

I relaxed slightly as the Gunslinger stopped aiming his weapon at us and the Doctor hurried out with me into the open road.

"What are you doing? Just go!" The Doctor shouted, but Jex kept speaking.

" _Where are you from? Where on Kahler_?"

"Now? You're asking him this _now_?!" The Doctor complained and I turned to him in confusion.

"Reweh iceov morf?" _**Where voice from?**_

I was ignored as the Gunslinger spoke.

"Gabriah."

" _I know it. It's beautiful there. When this is over, will you go back_?"

"How can I? I am a monster now."

" _So am I_."

"Just go! Finish this!" The Doctor shouted again.

"I'll find you. If I have to tear this universe apart, I will find you."

" _I don't doubt that. You'll chase me to another planet and another race will be caught in the crossfire._ "

"Then, face me! Face me!"

" _No. You've killed enough. I'm ending the war for you too._ "

" _Ten… nine…_ "

"What's going on?" The Doctor questioned at the other voice I heard. "The countdown… What's going on? Jex!"

" _Thank you Doctor. I have to face the souls of those I've wronged. Perhaps that will be kind._ "

There was a loud bang and I whipped around to see smoke coming from over the hills. I was very confused. Was there something on fire? Should we do something? What about the Gunslinger? I turned to the Doctor for answers, but he and the Gunslinger looked rather upset about something.

"Tordoc?" _**Doctor?**_ I nudged him lightly with my hand, making him look at me. "Tordoc turh? Kisc? Tordoc hyw ont phapy? I leph?" _**Doctor hurt? Sick? Doctor why not happy? I help?**_

"U-Um, well…" He looked back over at the smoke. "Jex is… Jex died."

I felt something settle in my stomach, placing a hand over it. "Deid? Ubt… on turh. Ligsenrung on llik." _**Died? But… No hurt. Gunslinger no kill.**_

"That's right. The Gunslinger didn't kill him." The Doctor said, looking at said man who was bowed.

"He behaved with honor at the end. Maybe more than me."

"We could take you back to your world." The Doctor offered as we followed him. "You could help with the reconstruction."

"I will walk into the desert and self-destruct. I'm a creature of war. I have no role to play during peace." The Gunslinger argued as the townsfolk walked out too.

"Except maybe, to protect it."

The Gunslinger stopped as the Doctor went on.

"It's not impossible. Tanner is a prime example." He said, making me perk up at my name. "She was used for killing and fighting all her life. She's lost everything, but you saw what she did. She stood up against you to protect these people. Keep them safe. All you need is a new purpose."

"They will not want me." He argued and someone cleared their throat.

"Well, now, don't _we_ get a say about that?" Isaac said, making the Gunslinger turn around. "I can't exactly protect everyone on my own and who knows how much longer I'll be around to do it. You never really hurt no one either. I don't see why we can't come to an understanding."

* * *

"Okay, so, our next trip. Oh! You know all the monkeys and dogs they sent into space in the fifties and sixties? You will never guess what really happened to them." The Doctor smiled away, glad things worked out this time.

"Could we leave it a while? Our friends are going to start noticing that we're aging faster than them." Amy said and Tanner looked a little concerned.

"Evael?" _**Leave?**_

The Doctor too, was a bit upset, though he hid it well. "Another time? No worry. I can take Tanner to the zoo!"

Amy rolled her eyes. "Oh, yeah. Good luck explaining giraffes."

Tanner tipped her head. "Firafeg?" **_Giraffe?_**


	4. Chapter 4

The Doctor was very mad. Very mad and very sad. He didn't tell me much, just that Amy and Rory would be gone for a long time. I was sad too. I liked Amy's red hair and the nice man. I'd only really dealt with them for a few days before I got sick. The Doctor said something about it being my first trip to Earth and me catching something. I wasn't sure what he meant. I didn't remember catching something, but he said it was fine. I'd be okay after a little bit and until then, he'd keep an eye on me. He did. For a long time, he did, but then he said something happened on Earth. I wanted to help, but I was still sick and couldn't stay standing for too long without my stomach aching, so I stayed behind. When I felt better for a little bit, he showed me Rory's father and told me to keep him company.

He was a little surprised to find us still in the console room after a while, but didn't seem too upset. I was sent back to my room though, afterwards. Then, my "cold" got worse. I certainly _felt_ cold, but he said I was too hot and looked worried. I didn't like him being worried, but he gave me something to help me sleep. I'd been having bad nightmares while sick. He said they were… deletions? Durations? Delusions? Yes, delusions. I wasn't sure what that meant, but I was worried it had something to do with a scratch I'd seen on his wrist once or the bruising on his neck. So, I was a little worried when he said he'd help me sleep, but I was even more so when I woke up.

I'd felt much better. My head hadn't felt fuzzy and my chest wasn't aching. So, I had gotten up and gotten dressed. I was much better at dressing myself now, though tying shoes was still beyond my reach. I tried my best though and had gone to find him to try and untangle the mess that was my shoelaces, but the console room was dim. It reminded me of the basement where I was caged up and I had let out a soft whine. He hadn't noticed me until I'd gone over to where he was leaning heavily on the console with his head bowed. Even then, I needed to whine and nudge his arm to get his attention. I had asked what was wrong, if he was hurt. Those questions seemed to pain him though, so I went quiet other than an occasional whine of concern. I must have angered him, however. He had turned and shouted at me, making me step back in shock and fear.

He'd never yelled at me before. I wasn't sure what to do. I _still_ wasn't. He apologized a second later, saying he was sorry but that we wouldn't be seeing Amy and Rory for a long time. It made me sad and I wanted to whine again, show him I understood his distress, but I was afraid. I thought he would shout at me again. I didn't want to end up in a situation like before. I didn't want him angry with me and to either harm me or send me back to that place. So, I went back to the room I'd been in. I'd sat in a corner and waited for him to come get me, to bring me food, to teach me English like he'd been trying to lately. He didn't come. I wasn't sure how long I'd sat waiting for him. After a while though, I stood and left the room, stomach growling and cautious.

I wanted to find the room he'd given me food in before, but feared him getting angry should I take anything. So, I returned to the console room to see if I could get him to do anything, but he wasn't in there. I searched for a while, but couldn't find him. That's what I was doing now. I'd finally given in to taking some small portions of food from the kitchen when the room appeared before me, but still couldn't find him. I wondered if he'd gone outside, knowing that he'd told me to never open the doors unless he was around, but I wasn't sure what else to do. I'd made him angry, so… maybe he wanted me to leave? Was that why he was hiding? The thought made me upset, but a peek outside wouldn't hurt, right? I might even be wrong and he could just be looking for me inside. I nodded to myself and went to the console room, poking my head out the door in the front and blinking curiously at what awaited me outside.

White, puffy clouds surrounded the blue box and I knelt down and curiously brushed a hand through them. I couldn't feel them very well, but when I pressed my hand down, I discovered that there was a floor of some kind underneath it. I cocked my head to the side, but stood and looked out for my original objective.

"Tordoc?" I called out, hesitantly taking a small step out onto the cloud.

He'd taught me how to say his name in English, but I liked calling him in my own language. I kept calling to him, doing a small lap around the ship, before begrudgingly heading back inside to continue my search. That being said, I hadn't expected the Doctor to return after I'd only taken a step away from the doors.

"Tanner?" He questioned, making me flinch and stiffen as he frowned. "What are you doing? Did you go outside?"

"I…" I struggled, trying to find the words in English that he'd taught me. "I look… ow… outside…"

He stomped forward angrily and I shied away, trying desperately to keep going; to tell him I was looking for him, but he didn't give me the chance.

"You stay away from those doors. You hear me? You can't go outside anymore. I'm not going to let you." He snapped at me, grabbing my arm and yanking me away from the door before he thrust me towards the hall. "Go to your room. Just go!"

I scampered away, running through the halls desperately in search of my room and shutting myself in as quickly as I could. I was panting heavily, and a bead of sweat slipped down my face. Or, I thought it was sweat, but it was coming from my eyes. I pawed at them desperately, trying to stop what was happening, but I was only growing more frantic. I paced wildly back and forth, feeling trapped once more. I couldn't leave. He said I couldn't leave. I couldn't go outside. Amy and Rory were gone. He was angry with me, but I didn't know why. I didn't understand. I'd only gone to look for him. I was only outside for a second. I came back. He said Amy and Rory wouldn't come back, but I did. He was nice to me, but now he… I wasn't sure what to think. I _couldn't_ think. So, I sank into a corner and covered my head with my back facing the door, shivering. _It's okay._ I told myself. _H-He'll be nice. He's just sad. Very, very sad. H-He'll change back to the Doctor. He will._ _He'll come get me a-and we'll go on adventures and get Amy and Rory and look at butterflies and sit on stools._

I calmed down a while later, feeling tired but fearing sleep. I got up, moving to the table where the Doctor had been showing me how to write English and I tried to remember what he showed me. _Maybe if I learn it, he'll be proud of me. Maybe he'll be happy again._ I worked long and hard, struggling and growing frustrated and sitting back in the corner. I kept going though and when I thought I'd done a good job, when I'd wrote a note with a picture to try and make him happy again, I'd gone searching for him once more. I was scared, I was worried. I didn't want to make him angry again, but how could he be angry? It was just a picture. It was me showing him I could write, that I was trying hard, so he should too. Even if I was trapped again, it was with him. He saved me from that place. He was a nice man, a good man. So, I should help him too.

I moved into the console room, looking around and spotting him as he looked at some glasses he had. Slowly, I approached him, jittery with excitement to show him what I'd done.

"T-Tordoc?" I stuttered out, continuing even when he didn't turn to look. "I… I write. For you. See? Stop hurt. Make butterflies!"

I forced my lips up in an awkward smile, knowing he liked it when I smiled.

"Not now, Tanner. I don't… I don't care right now. Just go."

My smile fell. "But… I write. Make you have butterflies. Stop Tordoc hurt."

"Go, Tanner!" He shouted, making me flinch back again, feeling my chest ache. "Just leave me alone! You can't fix this with some, some stupid drawing or writing or whatever! Amy and Rory are _gone_ , Tanner! Does that mean anything to you?!" He shouted, before laughing bitterly as he ran his hand through his hair and walked towards the hall. "No, what am I saying? Course not. You're illiterate. You wouldn't understand. I'm practically talking to a block of wood."

"T-Tordoc?" I called, not wanting to give up just yet, but he kept walking. "Tordoc!"

"Enough!" He shouted loudly, making me stop where I'd started to take a step forward. "Leave me _alone_."

He walked away and I let him this time, feeling even worse than before. He wanted me to leave, but he told me not to leave. I was confused, didn't know what to do to make him happy, so I looked at my picture and placed it on the console. He wanted to be alone. I didn't want to be back in a cage. He wanted me to leave. I didn't want to be afraid of him. He was sad. I wanted him to be happy, so I would leave to find something to make him happy. I would leave and find Amy and Rory. I grabbed the thick shirt that the Doctor called a "coat" and tugged it on, grimacing at my shoelaces before removing them completely and heading outside.

I flinched, expecting him to shout when I opened the door, but he hadn't returned. So, I stepped out onto the cloud and I found a ladder, climbing down it and landing in cold, white fluff on the ground. I frowned, picking some up and watching in amazement as the white powder turned to water. I couldn't be distracted though, I needed to find Amy and Rory. So, I took off running, searching for the red hair and the kind man, desperately, in the hopes of saving the Doctor.

* * *

The Doctor sighed, dragging a hand through his hair as he reread the afterward left for him by Amy for the umpteenth time. The light above him went out though making him frown up at the ceiling. He flicked on a desk lamp, but that too went out and he finally stood up in frustration.

"What? Can't you just leave me be?"

The ship groaned in disapproval, lighting up a portion of the console. He grumbled, but went over to it to find a paper lying there. He frowned in confusion, before picking it up and feeling his hearts stop. It was a picture, drawn in surprising detail of him, Tanner, Amy and Rory with butterflies around them. Written above the picture in a child-like fashion were the words 'Tordoc hapy wit companyonz.' Guilt welled up in him as he remembered how he'd been treating Tanner, and he hastily pocketed the picture and rushed down the halls. He couldn't find her anywhere though, and his concern grew into desperation. He wasn't sure how long he'd been wallowing in his grief over the loss of Amy and Rory, how long he'd neglected Tanner. He rushed back into the console room and checked the monitors, but the Tardis grumbled at him and opened her doors. Fear enveloped him.

"No… No, why would she go outside? I told her not to—"

" _You stay away from those doors. You hear me? You can't go outside anymore. I'm not going to let you."_

"I trapped her… Oh, God. I practically put her right back in that cage."

" _Go, Tanner! Just leave me alone!"_

"Then I told her to leave. Oh, what have I done?" The Doctor buried his face in his hands, before taking a deep breath and standing up straight. "No. I can't. I have to find her. She could be down there hurting people. _She_ could be hurt."

He went and grabbed his coat, pulling on a top hat as well and scrambled outside. Once down in the London streets, he asked around to see if anyone had spotted her, but no one had. After a while of searching in the cold, he began to grow frustrated. _What was she thinking? What did she think this would accomplish? She's just going to get hurt._ Then, he felt upset. _This is all my fault. I lost two people and pushed away the only one I had left. Who_ knows _what could have happened to her._ His feet crunched through the snow as he passed through an alleyway, searching corners in the shadows for his missing companion.

"Did you make this snowman?" A woman asked as he passed her by.

"No." He murmured, downtrodden in his search for Tanner.

"Well, who did? Because it wasn't there a second ago. It just appeared, from nowhere."

The Doctor, unable to help his curiosity, turned to look at it. "Maybe it's snow that fell before. Maybe it remembers how to make snowmen." He commented, taking a handful of the snow from the snowman and sliding it through his gloves.

"What? Snow that can remember? That's silly." The woman chuckled.

"What's wrong with silly?"

"Nothing. Still talking to you, ain't I?" She smirked, making him even more curious than before.

"What's your name?"

"Clara."

"Nice name. Clara. You should definitely keep it. Goodbye." He walked away, but Clara chased after him.

"Oi! Where are you going? I thought we were just getting acquainted."

"Those were the days." The Doctor hummed, pausing for a second before looking back at her. "Have you spotted a young woman, short brown hair kind of messy, orange eyes, thin, on the tall side?"

"She your wife?"

The Doctor groaned. "No, just… Never mind."

He left, climbing into the carriage he asked to use from Vastra, seeing the young woman as unhelpful in his search. _Though the snow comments… Curious._

" _How refreshing to see you taking an interest again. Was she nice?_ " Vastra asked from the speaker in the compartment, making the Doctor scowl.

"I just spoke to her."

" _And made your usual impact, no doubt._ "

"No. No impact at all. Those days are over." He argued, but she disagreed.

" _You can't help yourself. It's the same story every time and it always begins with the same two words._ "

"She'll never be able to find me again. She doesn't even have the name, 'Doctor'. What two words?"

Just then, the hatch to the roof opened up and the Doctor stared in stunned disbelief as Clara's head poked through the top.

"Doctor? Doctor who?"

* * *

I shivered, quaking on my feet as I whined softly under my breath, still looking for them, for Amy and Rory. _They have to be here. They are here somewhere._ I pressed onward, ignoring the heaviness in my limbs and the numbness of my fingers and feet as I moved to the next home. I knocked, hugging my arms to my chest as the door opened and a young woman blinked at me in surprise.

"H-H-Have you… see R-Rory and… A-Amy?" I asked, sniffling a bit as I waved a hand at my head. "A-Amy… red hair a-and Rory… very n-n-nice."

"Are you…" The woman furrowed her brows. "You're the one he's looking for, aren't you? You're the Doctor's friend."

I stiffened, hesitating and taking a small step back as she took one forward.

"You should head back to him. He's looking all over for you."

I shook my head. "T-Tordoc mad and very… v-very sad."

"Tordoc?" She questioned and I winced, remembering that I needed to speak English for her to understand.

"D-Doc… Doctor." I corrected with a small grimace and she tilted her head curiously. "He lost… A-Amy and Rory. I-I find, he have b-butterflies. H-He teach me m-more English. H-He stop shouting…"

She looked angry suddenly and I flinched back as she reached out and took my wrist. "He's an idiot man for getting upset with you. It's not like it's your fault. It's… not your fault, right?"

I slowly shook my head, uncertain about the woman in front of me as she pulled me through the yard towards the outer gate.

"I thought not. Let's go talk to him. He shouldn't have done that and needs to apologize."

I squirmed, unsure and yet not wanting to hurt someone who could be the Doctor's friend, but as we grew nearer to the park, I grew anxious.

"I-I need find A-Amy and R-Rory." I argued, tugging her back lightly, the shivering settling in even more as my teeth clattered. "T-Tordoc angry. H-H-He will… g-get s-s-so angry. I-I d-don't w-w-want…"

I couldn't finish speaking, the shaking too much and my body demanding warmth that my coat wasn't providing after having been wandering in the snow for an unknown amount of time. I curled into myself slightly as Clara dropped my hand in realization and hastily began leading me somewhere else. I was stumbling now, unsteady on my numb feet and wanting to just curl into a ball in the snow and stop. I was so tired. So tired and worried and scared and confused. My chest ached and my hearts mourned the loss of the kind Doctor. My treasure. My horde.

A heat in my stomach stirred, but I couldn't be put through the effort of building it up, spreading it, exhaling it. It would have been an action that felt natural, were it not for the devastation I was being put through. I'd lost focus now. Unsure how long we'd been walking or who was speaking to me and what was being said as they lightly pulled me along. I was brought into a house, different from the one from before. It was warm, but it only made my shivering worse and my knees buckled. I was helped up and brought to another room where fingers tugged off my clothes and redressed me, someone speaking in soft reassuring tones. I was tucked into a bed where I curled up as tightly as I could, trying to warm myself as that thought returned and I immediately tried to get up.

"N-Need t-t-to find A-Amy a-and R-Rory or T-Tordoc so angry."

The hands from before easily pushed my weakened body back onto the bed and something brushed over my forehead before sleep suddenly overwhelmed me and my vision went black.

* * *

Clara followed Jenny into a greenhouse portion of the manor and couldn't help but stare in blatant shock at the lizard-like woman seated across the way, sipping a red drink.

"Sit." Jenny said and Clara hesitantly did.

"There are two refreshments in your world the color of red wine." Vastra said, watching the woman. "This is _not_ red wine."

"Madame Vastra will ask you questions." Jenny announced. "You will confine yourself to single word responses. One word only, do you understand?"

Clara paused, before answering. "Why?"

"Truth is singular." Vastra said. "Lies are words, words, words."

Clara glanced at the door. "Woman?"

"She is alright now, or as well as she can be after being left out in the cold for that long." Vastra sighed. "While it is his own selfishness that caused her to be out there, it's thanks to her that he's come out of his isolation."

"Name?"

"Hers? I believe the Doctor calls her Tanner, since she was held in captivity for so long that her own name and memories are lost to her." Vastra answered, looking Clara over once more. "You met the Doctor, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"And now you've come looking for him again, and not just for Tanner. Why?"

"Take your time." Jenny said. "One word."

Clara had to think a moment. "Curiosity."

"About?"

"Snow."

"And about him?"

"Yes."

"What do you want from him?"

"Help."

"Why?"

"Danger."

"Why would he help you?"

Clara paused once more. "Kindness."

"The Doctor is not kind."

"No?"

"No." Vastra argued seriously. "The Doctor doesn't help people. Not anyone, not ever. He stands above this world and doesn't interfere in the affairs of its inhabitants. He is not your salvation, nor your protector. Do you understand what I am saying to you?"

"Words." Clara said, earning a small smile from Jenny behind her and a hint of respect from Vastra.

"He was different once, a long time ago. Kind, yes. Tanner is proof of that. A hero, even. A saver of worlds. But he suffered losses which hurt him. Now, he prefers isolation to the possibility of pain's return. Kindly choose a word to indicate your understanding of this."

Clara took a moment. "Man."

Vastra glance at Jenny who gave a subtle nod. "We are the Doctor's friends. We assist him in his isolation but that does not mean we approve of it. So, a test for you. Give me a message for the Doctor. Tell him all about the snow and what fresh danger you believe it presents, and above all, explain why he should help you."

Clara went to answer, but Vastra placed a finger on her lips to silence her.

"But do it in one word. You're thinking it is impossible that such a word exists, or that you could even find it. Let's see if the gods are with you."

It took a few moments before Clara finally spoke and what she said made Vastra smirk. They sent her away after that, promising nothing but ensuring that Tanner would be looked after and the Doctor contacted. And contact them they did.

* * *

"Yes, what? I'm trying to read." The Doctor complained from his spot in the Tardis when he answered the phone; Vastra very nearly rolling her eyes on the other side of the line.

" _Miss Clara and her concerns about the snow, as well as your missing companion; who is resting here. I gave her the one-word test._ "

The Doctor felt a surge of relief to hear that Tanner was found, but couldn't reign in his curiosity about Clara's test.

"That's always pointless. What did she say? Well? Well?"

" _I will tell you, but you must come here immediately afterwards. We have matters to discuss about your companion._ "

"Yes, yes. Of course. What did she _say_?"

"… _Pond._ "

His eyes went wide and he removed the glasses from his nose, looking them over as the word brought up memories of Amy and Rory.

" _We will see you soon, Doctor. Strax has already suggested where to start investigating._ "

The Doctor was quick to pull on his coat and hurry out to the carriage where Strax waited for him to take him to the manor where the others waited. Upon arriving, he was shocked into silence by a harsh slap to the face from a hissing Vastra.

"How _dare_ you; you selfish, insolent man." She growled out as the Doctor tried to get his bearings and understand what was going on. "Do you know what you could have done?"

"Is… Is this about Tanner?" He questioned uncertainly, having expected a minor scolding, but nothing to this extent.

"You never told me what she was and leaving her out in this cold for so long was _asking_ for her death."

The Doctor frowned, confused. "What? But surely Argonians could handle—"

Vastra cut him off with slight surprise. "You believe her to be a simple Argonian?"

"She… She speaks it. It was the only language she knew when I picked her up. I could only assume…"

Vastra straightened, looking down at him scathingly before nodding her head towards the hall. "This way."

He followed, hunched slightly like a scolded puppy as they went upstairs to the guest bedroom and Jenny stepped out with a worried expression on her face.

"How is she?" Vastra asked.

"Not good. Her fever won't go down and she's still shivering. I have her under every blanket I could find, but nothing seems to be working." Jenny said solemnly and Vastra pushed past her with the Doctor on her tail.

"No, I suppose it wouldn't."

The Doctor frowned at those words, but he caught sight of Tanner's sorry state before he could ask. It was worse than before, when she was ill. Before, it had been stress related and emotional and physical exhaustion. Now, it was as if she was lying on Death's door. She was pale and shivering profusely, sweat covering her body despite Jenny having just wiped her down. She was skinny once more, looking as though she hadn't eaten in some time and the Doctor sank heavily into a chair as the reality of the situation came crashing down on him. This was his fault. She hadn't been eating because she didn't know how to do things for herself without fearing retribution. She'd fled out of fear of him because he'd gotten frustrated and used his selfish desires to try and tie her down in the Tardis with him, when she'd been trapped nearly all her life. How could he have not noticed what he had been doing? Why did he get frustrated that she'd gone? Why did he stop searching for her, when he would go to the edge of the universe and back when his other companions were lost or taken from him? He had already lost two people, but now he might very well be the reason why he lost a third.

"Oh, Tanner, what was I thinking?" He murmured, brushing a hand over her face lightly. "What were you doing out there?"

"Miss Clara said she was searching for someone." Jenny offered, making the Doctor look to her. "She… Well, she said that Tanner was searching for your companions, the Ponds."

The Doctor's hearts sank even further. "W-What?" He breathed out.

Vastra answered him this time. "She was searching for what you'd lost in order to appease you. The only reason she's not still out there searching is because I was forced to knock her unconscious. She was searching for Amy and Rory because you were angry. You took out your anger on her and all she tried to do was _help_ you, Doctor."

His head dropped as his eyes gazed sadly at his lap, before he managed to speak.

"You… said she's not Argonian."

Vastra sighed heavily, knowing that he seemed to have understood now the severity of his actions or was at least reflecting on them.

"She is, but she is also not." Vastra explained, drawing his eyes back to her. "As you know, Argonians are distant cousins of my own species, so I should have been able to recognize that the moment I knocked her unconscious, however… I discovered that she is far more precious than a mere Argonian, and she is _ancient_ , Doctor. Perhaps even older than you. No. She is undoubtedly older than yourself by a long range. The fact that she is still alive even now, astounds me."

The Doctor grew more concerned. "She's going to die?"

Vastra scoffed. "Far from it. I mean to say that her species has been extinct since even before mine or the Argonians even existed. Your finding her is quite possibly the rarest thing to ever happen in the universe, because she is undoubtedly the only one left and has been for quite some time. Her kind are practically myths to my species and to humans as well. Argonian is most likely the most recent language she's heard that resembled her original in the recent centuries. Though, should Miss Clara have not found her, she most certainly would have died out in the snow. Her kind are very peculiar."

"What is she?" The Doctor repeated, growing almost fearful of what he'd picked up, at her words.

"An ancient Argonian." Vastra answered him seriously. "Or, according to the human myths, a dragon."

The Doctor shook his head frantically. "No, no, no. That can't be. Dragons a-are big, flying lizards in the sky that breathe fire a-and eat sheep and sleep in caverns with piles of treasure! Myths to scare children and entertain the wild imaginations of young adolescents!"

"They are myths to my species as well, however, that is all she _could_ be." Vastra argued. "Argonians would have little trouble coming back from a bit of cold, yet here she struggles due to the cold being more than just an external force. I have also never heard of an Argonian with orange eyes."

The Doctor had so many questions, but one stuck out at the forefront of his mind. "Why is she struggling?"

"You said it yourself." Vastra answered quietly. "Dragons have treasures, hordes, things that they hold very precious and will protect to the ends of their lives. A dragon is at its weakest when it loses it. When their treasure is taken from them, hidden from them. Without it, they fall into a very deep depression, often acting out of rage and mourning and sorrow; hence why the humans have so many myths of them rampaging through towns and villages. They become mentally unstable until they either find what they've lost or discover its demise. In the latter case, they tend to burn themselves out and hide away for centuries before finding a new one. Tanner, then, will not begin to heal from this until she finds what she's lost."

"But she has nothing." The Doctor replied, trying to think of what her treasure could be. "No clothes, no treasures. Everything she has now is something I've given to her."

Vastra raised a brow. "Treasures do not have to be objects or things of monetary value, Doctor, and losing something does not necessarily mean that it has been stolen or taken or hidden in an unknown location. Surely, for someone who owns nothing, carries nothing, _has_ nothing; finding the one thing she finds most precious would be relatively easy. Especially when she has been out wandering the snow for a very specific reason."

The Doctor's shoulders sank as he understood what she was implying and he glanced up at her.

"Me? She's like this because… because she's lost me?"

Vastra gave a solemn nod. "You lost yourself, who you were as a person because of your companions' unfortunate end. She can't protect you from pain like that. The most she can do is try to distract you, change things to make you happy. I have no doubt she's been attempting to do that by running off into the snow to search for your missing companions. With her currently stunted mentality, it was most likely the only thing she could think of; not even considering the fact that your companions may be impossible to reach. Due to the fact that she was unable to fulfill that role, unable to bring them back to ensure you were happy and protected from that pain of mourning, she felt she failed. She would be unable to help you and, therefore, 'lost' her precious treasure."

The Doctor looked over at Tanner solemnly. "What do I do?"

"Right now, there is nothing you _can_ do. She is resting and will awaken at some point. It will be then, that you can speak with her and help her understand what is going on and how she could begin to help _you_. For now, though, I do believe you have an appointment you need to get to in order to help Miss Clara and deal with the snow situation." Vastra said, heading for the door as the Doctor too, stood. "Jenny will keep an eye on her for now, until we need to be of service. Then, I am sure she will do fine on her own. I don't expect her to wake for another day, at least."

"And… you're certain she's a dragon."

Vastra raised a brow. "If you need further proof, simply wait until she is awake, and when you reassure her you are fine, then proof will reveal itself. Now, hurry up. I don't wish to be out in the cold any longer than I must."

* * *

He couldn't believe it. The longer he looked at it, the more impossible it seemed.

"I never knew her name… her full name." He breathed out, his previous sorrow over Clara's death broken at the sight of her name etched into a tombstone. "Soufflé girl. Oswin. It was her. It was soufflé girl again. I never saw her face the first time with the Daleks, but her voice, it was the same voice."

"Doctor?" Jenny questioned, confused by his rambling as she stood beside an equally lost Vastra.

"The same woman, _twice_. And she died both times. The same woman!"

"Doctor, please, what are you talking about?" Vastra asked as he stood with a grin, hope restored.

"Something's going on. Something impossible, something… Right, you two stay here. Stay right here. Don't move an inch."

"Are you coming back?" Vastra asked, seeing what was going on.

"Shouldn't think so!" He called out, heading for the gate.

"But where are you going?"

"To find her. To find Clara. Hahaha!"

"But Clara's dead. What's he talking about, finding her?" Jenny questioned the woman beside her.

"I don't know, but perhaps the universe makes bargains after all." She said, before remembering something. "Ah, we best stop him though. I do believe he's forgotten someone."

Just as she said this, he bounded back over, looking more than a bit disheveled.

"Right. I lied. I've got one more thing. Might I go and grab Tanner?"

Vastra cracked a small smile. "Of course. We haven't left her on her own. Strax is with her currently, however she should be waking soon and might I suggest having her… out in the open when you get around to explaining things? Otherwise you might have quite a… _large_ problem on your hands."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's just say that the ancient Argonians had those myths created about them for a reason and you should be grateful she kept her head initially. After being weakened to the state she is in now, however, that initial barrier will be released and her power spread full. I would hate for her to get caught in a small doorway."

The Doctor was still rather confused by Vastra's vague speech, but willingly agreed to take Tanner somewhere secluded but open for when she did awaken. Once she was in the Tardis, he lightly brushed a hand over her forehead, glad that her temperature had fallen somewhat, but it was still high and he had things to do—people to look for. Yet, after a while of searching with nothing to show for it, he began to search for a place for himself and Tanner until she awoke. Already, he was beginning to see signs of her awakening and he needed someplace secluded himself, in order to go through his thoughts on Clara. Then, he'd found the perfect place.

Cumbria 1207, tucked away in a cavern and left to himself upon informing the monks living nearby to not disturb him or Tanner unless the Tardis alarm went off for whatever reason. He didn't expect it to—not for a long while, anyway—and get Tanner settled in for the evening. She woke up the next morning though, and he couldn't help but feel nervous. She wouldn't be easy to deal with, in her illiterate state, but he was going to try his best to explain to her that things were alright now.

Her orange eyes cracked open, staring listlessly at the roof of the cavern and for a moment, the Doctor thought he saw recognition. However, it was gone as quickly as it came when she turned and saw him. Immediately, she attempted to sit up, but he stopped her just as fast.

"No, no. it's okay, Tanner. Lay down, rest."

She hesitated though, propped up on her elbows and still looking ill and frightened. _I hate that I've done this to her._ He mused, swallowing thickly as he tried to start explaining.

"Tanner, I'm very sorry for what I did. I shouldn't have gotten angry with you like that. I was just—"

"Tordoc das." _**Doctor sad.**_

"Yes. I was very sad, because Amy and Rory are gone."

She went to speak, paused, before gathering the courage to try again. "I og okol. I on difn Amy, Rory." _**I go look. I no find Amy Rory.**_ She looked sheepish again. "I… rroys. I dab. I og tousied. Tordoc dam I og tousied." _**I… sorry. I bad. I go outside. Doctor mad I go outside.**_

"I'm not… I'm not mad, Tanner. I was worried, scared. I didn't want to lose you too."

She tipped her head, confused with her brows furrowed. "Soel? I ont evael Tordoc. Tordoc cine. Tordoc cetah, leph em." _**Lose? I not leave Doctor. Doctor nice. Doctor teach, help me.**_

"I know." The Doctor smiled softly. "I know you wouldn't leave. I was just very sad. It's my fault. I shouldn't have gotten angry with you. You just wanted to help."

Tanner nodded slowly, beginning to regain her confidence. "I leph Tordoc." _**I help Doctor.**_ She licked her lips for a moment, looking down as she tried to form what she wanted to say. "I… want D-Doctor be… happy." She looked at him and he felt his hearts skip a beat at the effort she was putting in to speaking English for him. "I… was scared D-Doctor leave me. Pro… Promise find com… compan… companonz."

The Doctor cracked a smile. "Companions." He emphasized for her, making her frown and mouth the word, saying it under her breath to try and pronounce it right.

"Compan… Companyonz. Companyens. Com—"

"Tanner?"

She looked over at him instantly and he reached out, making her close her eyes and flinch until he placed his hand on her head and ruffled her hair.

"Thank you." He murmured, moving closer and pulling her into a hug as he sighed softly. "Thank you for looking. They're gone, but… you did good. Very good, Tanner. I'm very happy."

She reached out herself, hugging him as well—softer than she usually would, surprisingly. The Doctor though, smiled proudly. _Need a big space, pft. What for? It's not like she's going to throw a tantrum now that I've explained it properly._ His brows furrowed though, as he noticed something curious. _Is it… getting warm in here?_ He pulled away to ask Tanner if she noticed, only for his eyes to widen and take a step back. She brought a hand to her face and looked almost in pain, but what had shocked the Doctor was the fact that she was exhaling _smoke_.

"Tanner? Tanner, what—"

He was cut off as there was a clatter behind him, making him whip around to find a younger monk who had brought the meal he'd asked for, having also dropped the platter on the ground. He was new and didn't quite understand that he was meant to leave the platter near the front entrance of the cavern, but it was too late now.

"You idiot!" The Doctor called to him, ushering him out hastily. "Get a new one and leave it at the entrance! Go on now, get—Whoa!"

Something had wrapped around the Doctor's mid-section and lifted him completely off the ground—thankfully _after_ he'd shooed off the monk. He struggled against it uselessly only to finally focus on it and realize that he was squirming in the grip of something large and scaled. Hot steam brushed over him and he turned with wide eyes to meet large orange ones as the clawed hand holding him curled protectively around him.

"W-Wha… But… _Tanner_?"

The reptilian head tipped to the side much as Tanner's did when curious or confused, before she nuzzled him with her snout. Vastra had been right about him choosing a large secluded area _and_ about him having proof of what Tanner was when she awoke. The small woman was now a large, lithe dragon that still only just fit inside the cavern they were tucked away in. The Doctor hadn't expected the literal truth behind the myths, but with the evidence right before his eyes, it was hard not to. Even now, as Tanner nuzzled him and curled around him protectively, he couldn't quite believe it.

"Y-You're a dragon…"

Her orange eyes blinked. "Dra… gon?"

The Doctor shivered at the deep, heavily accented English that seemed to come out of her without her mouth being opened. _Oh, this is way too much to take in. She doesn't even seem to realize she's changed either. Do I point it out to her? How long will she be this way? The monks shouldn't come back inside here, but if she gets spotted…_ He looked her over as she placed him down on the ground and her tail flicked like an idle cat's. _We may just be the start of the myths, if we're not careful._

"Tanner, um… could you possibly…change back?"

Tanner tipped her head, twisting to look at herself before glancing at the ceiling. "Ghenac back? I ghenac? Ubt lefe… odgo. Ont kisc. I… dab?" _**Change back? I change? But feel… good. Not sick… I bad?**_

"No, you're not bad, it's just… you a bit… _large_? I'm worried about what will happen if someone sees you."

Tanner let out a breath through her nose, making the Doctor cough and wave away the steam in his face. "Od ont nowk. I ghenac or ont. I diret. Ryev… leepys." _**Do not know. I change or not. I tired. Very… sleepy.**_

"No, no! Don't fall asleep!" The Doctor tried, but the dragon yawned and slowly placed her head down on the bed, letting out another breath of steam as the Doctor frantically waved his hands about. "Tanner, you can't! Oh, this isn't going to work."

He grimaced, but slowly placed his hands on her nose, wincing in anticipation of… _something_. Yet nothing happened and he tried to shake her awake, but the only movement she made was to nuzzle against him once more and wrap her tail around him clingingly. Sighing heavily, the Doctor struggled to push the length of tail off him before begrudgingly giving up and flopping down beside her. After a while though, he couldn't help but stare at the slumbering beast at his side. _A real, live dragon. Who would have thought?_


End file.
